Mentors & Heroes
Who were your heroes when you were a child? Who were the men and women that you admired and wanted to be like? From my earliest memories, my uncles, predominately on my mother’s side of the family, were the men that I admired the most. They were big, strong, and all seem to have a spirit that they could do anything, handle anything, and fix anything. I only have one uncle left, but the memories I have of those six men helped in my formative years. As the years have rolled by, my heroes have changed or perhaps a better way of saying it is that I have added to the number. Most of my heroes today are preachers, missionaries, and godly men and women that have great wisdom and a track record of walking with Christ. A great number of those heroes have become my mentors also.
Do you have heroes and mentors? I hope that you do because of the blessings that come from those types of people. It isn’t always a parent that becomes one of those special people even though we parents should strive to be an example for our children. It could be a coach, a teacher, or just someone that you admire. If you don’t have some of those in your life, you have missed a great deal. Great joy comes from people like this. Their kindness, help and encouragement have driven many to heights they never dreamed of attaining. Why are people like this needed? Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” They are needed because they add essential ingredients in us to make us better. To answer that question personally, I began to think about the many that I have had in my life. Sid Brannon was my high school and college football coach. He lives in Texas now but at the time our lives intersected he lived in Savannah. Every couple of years we will talk and catch up with our families and a time of reminiscing, laughing, and talking about the Lord will usually close the conversation. But I remember those “demonic” practices (wink, wink) on the football field and how he drove us to be the absolute best player we could be. Elmer Towns. Mr. Sunday School was the title others bestowed on him, and he oozed wisdom. I graduated high school with his son, Sam, and the Dr. Towns and his wife Ruth always had an elevated place in my heart. Cecil Hodges. Dr. Hodges was the pastor of the church I was saved at in 1972. Velva Lewis. Mrs. “Lew” went beyond me and became a hero to my wife, Deb. Dr. Curtis Hutson. I’d never heard of Curtis Hutson but after listening to two sermons by him the course of my life changed and “that has made all the difference” to steal a line from Robert Frost. Dr. Don Richards. I am 68 years old now, and I can honestly say that no man has had more influence on me than the “Preacher.” The relationship began in 1978 as a boss/employee relationship. But it wasn’t long before an admiration began to grow. Why? He became a mentor and a hero because of how he helped me develop. I have said this a thousand times, “Don Richards is the best all-around man I have ever known. His character, integrity, and spirituality, basically his whole life has been rock solid.” These names are only a few of those I admire and count as mentors. My learnings didn’t only come from men in the ministry but godly lay men and women that I watched just walk the walk. You never know who is watching you. A couple of years ago, I met a lady at a store, and I brought up the Lord. She said, “Oh, I know who you are and I know where you live.” Besides being a little spooky, it made me realize people are watching you.
Heroes and mentor aren’t “yes men” they are truthful men. They see potential in you when you don’t see it in yourself. They offer encouragement when you have failed and are lower than a snake’s belly button. They are an example for you if you have enough sense to follow. They give you correction when needed and warnings when they see you drifting. Howard Hendricks is in glory now, but when he was alive, often he would say that we all need at least three people in our lives. One, someone who came before. Two, someone we can walk with and confide now. Three, someone we are mentoring ourselves. “Who is your man?” That’s the question the great founder of the Navigators, Dawson Trotman, would ask the men of the Navigators when he would see them. Everyone was expected to have someone they were helping along.
My space is about gone today but are you thanking God for those the Lord has placed in your path? Have you watched others long enough to now think of them as mentors and heroes? These can come from all walks of life. Are you trying to mentor others yourself? That is a big deal in the New Testament. Several times Paul would say something like this. “Be ye followers of me.” “Let the younger women learn from the older women.” Statements like those all point to mentors and heroes. Admire those types and seek to attain that type testimony for Christ.