The long walk...

In the past few days, I have encountered some powerful and inspirational writing by two wise women: Brene Brown and Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

To those of you men who have never read anything by Brene Brown: DON'T WAIT ANY LONGER! There is so much richness, truth and wisdom in what she writes. It has caught me unaware many times as I've been reading, and hit me in deep places where I've needed healing or better awareness of myself spiritually, mentally and emotionally. And that's really the goal for mentors: be continually working on yourself - especially in the area of self-awareness and emotional intelligence. In "Braving the Wilderness," she illustrates pain as a river and we, as mentors, are constantly pulling drowning people out of this river as they get swept along. But, she asks, how much longer are we willing to keep pulling drowning people out of the water one by one, rather than walking to the headwaters of the river to find the source of the pain? This is exactly why we, as mentors, need to walk upstream and become aware of what pain is getting our attention, perhaps causing us to drown. Only then will we be able to effectively invite another man to walk upstream of his river and confront his own pain in a healthier and more helpful way. Our own experience will remind us why it's worth it.

How much longer are we willing to keep pulling drowning people out of the water one by one, rather than walking to the headwaters of the river to find the source of the pain? - Brene Brown "Braving the Wilderness"

Mother Teresa, in turn, encourages us to pursue the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23 - love, joy, peace, perseverance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control), despite the turmoil around us and the cost.

Perhaps one of these will speak to a specific situation in your life right now. Perhaps the first one speaks to a frustration about social media, or how we sort each other into echo-chambers. If one stands out to you, start there. Begin your journey to the head-waters of your river by asking Holy Spirit for the grace to understand how you really feel about the situation and for the grace to explore the pain, or anger, or frustration. May you sense and experience the presence and grace of Jesus Christ in this journey.