If you think about it, each of us is the summation of what others have poured into us over time. This means the effects of some types of mentoring are positive…while others…not so much. (Ever see the “coming of age” movie, Karate Kid? “Wax on, wax off.” Good Sensei…bad Sensei).

Ralph Macchio

That’s why I often quote the pithy proverb, “We teach what we know, but we reproduce what we are.” It forces “would be” mentors to take a long, hard look in the mirror to make sure we like what we see.

Sadly, plenty of people are the by-products of bad mentoring - INFLUENTIAL yes...but WISE, no. Bad mentoring results from a failure to look down the road and weigh the long-term implications of short term actions.

Think of a time when you or someone you know said something hurtful only to have to apologize later. We’ve all done it; after all, we’re human. But the less damage we do in the first place, the less damage control we’ll have to do later.

When I was a kid a popular saying was, “Sorry doesn’t heal the wound.” So while forgiveness is a wonderful gift to give or receive, how great would it be if we got better at doing it right the first time around?

Years ago I sat in a class where the professor gave countless examples of famous Christian leaders who took the time to invest in the next generation. The results of their time and energy investments include names like Bill Bright, Lloyd Ogilvie, Howard Hendricks, Ray Stedman, and Chuck Swindoll...just to name a few.

Jesus Christ, the greatest “mentor leader” of all time said: