In a post about discipleship by Chris Surratt entitled Mentoring Is about Transformation, he displays the cover of Mentor: How Along-the-Way Discipleship Will Change Your Life by Chuck Lawless. That’s when it hit me. Besides obedience to our Lord, one of the best reasons to disciple others is for my own personal discipleship growth. Walking with someone strengthens me too!
Walking with Someone
Consider some of the ways walking alongside someone may change you:
- when you lead someone somewhere, you grow by choosing and activating direction;
- when you teach someone something, you grow by reinforcing what you know;
- when you walk with someone, you grow from their insights and experiences;
- when you prepare for someone, you grow in understanding content and importance;
- when you evaluate someone, you grow through prior personal evaluation; and
- when you give assignments to someone, you grow by making, demonstrating, practicing, and checking on the assignments.
Now, please don’t hear what I am not saying. Walking alongside someone is not just about your growth. But what if it is an incentive for doing so that we are underpromoting? What if potential disciplers don’t see what they are missing? Walk with someone. Watch as your growth accelerates. Make disciples!
