Has there been someone you looked up, perhaps idolized, who you would follow to the ends of the earth? Was it a mentor who took the time to both teach and correct you as you were growing up? Is it a parent who you continue to respect and follow their advice?
Having someone we respect and honor can be very good for us. As they mentor us, we grow and mature into the person we desire to be. The right mentor will recognize our potential and provide the best guidance for achieving our potential. They can have a profound impact on our lives.
When we have such a mentor, we often never want to leave their side. We continually desire their wise advice. Yet, at some point, we must become our own person and move forward without them. Perhaps that occurs earlier in our lives. But even if it does not occur until that person’s death, we will have to live without them.
Elisha was dedicated to Elijah. He had learned quite a lot from Elijah regarding how to live out his life to God. Elisha respected Elijah, holding him in high regard. He knew that Elijah was blessed by God with prophecy and insight into God’s will. Elisha desired be like Elijah. Perhaps he thought that he could learn enough to be blessed by God in the same way.
Elisha promised to never leave Elijah’s side. We would be with him until the end of his days. Even as Elisha knew Elijah’s days were about to come to an end, he refused to leave him. His dedication to Elijah would ultimately payoff.
We, too, may be dedicated to a mentor of ours. Perhaps even to the level of Elisha. But we may also mature to the point we no longer need to be with the mentor. We may have learned all we can learn from them. Yet, there is one mentor we can never outgrow, that is God. God should continue to be our chosen mentor throughout our entire lives.
I pray we all have a mentor who provides wise advice. I pray we recognize when we have learned all we can from them. I pray each one of us continue to look to God to be our lifelong mentor. Seek a mentor you can learn from. Follow their wise advice. Continue to seek God’s advice. Trust him always.
2 Kings 2:2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.
Marty Pressey 