MENTORING
Discover
the Power of Two: A Call to Significance
By
Amanda Rankin
Guest Columnist
CBN.com
--
Two are better than one, because they have a good
return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity
the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together,
they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes
4:9-12).
The power of two is an amazing thing. Have you ever
noticed how much more you can accomplish when you have someone to help you do
something -- make a bed, put in a fence post, or brainstorm an idea? We were created
by God to work together, not alone in a vacuum.
We are accountable for
what we do with our lives. But our lives are part of a great, more wonderful whole
than just ourselves. In his book, Live Your Dreams, Les Brown says, "You have
a lot to give. The fact that you are still on this planet means that your business
is NOT DONE!" Each of us is called to significance. You were created with
a purpose, and it is up to you to find out what it is and fulfill the destiny
that was planted in you at birth. You were made special. Unique! There's only
one of you. Your personality, the family that you were born into, the talents
that you have they were all given to you so you could do something GREAT with
them! I know, I know I hear you saying "MY family? MY personality? WHAT
talents?" I felt the same way when I first heard that, but as I've stretched and
grown, I've realized that it is true. If you were given bad circumstances or a
way-out personality (remember, I'm the example of an extreme, out-of-control personality),
then you were given the hidden resources to overcome them. But you may need someone
to walk beside you and give you encouragement and keep you on track in order to
find and call upon those resources. (I couldn't do it alone, either.) You CAN
do it! Something has happened to relationships in this fast-paced society
that we live in. Years ago, we learned our craft or skill from someone who had
the necessary knowledge and passed it on to us. We had close contact with our
mentor as we were taught valuable skills. Often, a parent or relative mentored
a child; other times, the child was sent off to live with the scholar or whoever
was to be their teacher. Nowadays, most parents work outside of the home,
and the important tradition of the mentor and protege has mostly been forgotten.
We have learned to operate on our own, calling it independence, or "doing our
own thing." Unfortunately, it may leave us bereft of the skills that were passed
on for generations before us. As a result, we have lost the secret of the unique
empowerment that can be received when we work alongside someone else. It
is interesting to note that Jesus sent His apostles out "two by two." Throughout
the New Testament we see how the apostles functioned -- they were never alone!
When Jesus sent them out to be witnesses, they were sent "two by two." Jesus even
sent two disciples to untie the colt and bring it back to Him. When the disciples
were not divided up into pairs, then they were often sent out in groups, so they
were always able to strengthen and encourage each other. Scripture also
says that where there are two or more gathered in His name, then He is there in
their midst. His presence is resident most powerfully in the midst of two or more,
as the scripture says in Ecclesiastes, "A threefold cord cannot be quickly broken."
We are not called to be "Lone Ranger" Christians, but instead we are called to
be members of a Body. Although the various parts of our body may have independent
functions, every one still relies on the others in order to work successfully.
We cannot function properly on our own; we are called to work together in harmony.
I have been studying the reasons for people's success for over 15 years,
and I have found that no one achieves any kind of success in any area of life
alone. Every successful person has sought the advice and encouragement of others.
It just can't be done any other way! Scott DeGarmo was Editor-in-Chief of Success
Magazine for many years, and he is now the editor of his own magazine called House
of Business. He has interviewed thousands of successful business people, and he
told me that the people he has interviewed have always sought out the help and
advice of those who have gone before them in their fields of work. As Zig
Ziglar has so often said, "You can have everything in life you want, if you will
just help enough people get what they want." It works both ways! People need people!
After many years of study, I had all the head knowledge that I needed to
achieve success; however, I still couldn't pull it off by myself. I still couldn't
stop procrastinating or push through my fears of failure. I continued to live
my life through all of those "tomorrows." "Tomorrow" I'll do this; "tomorrow"
I'll do that. But it was all wishful thinking and dreams. Tomorrow never came
because I never had control of TODAY! It wasn't until I found a coach that
I finally got control of my life. He stood by me and forced me (in a nice way)
to become accountable to myself. That is when I began to understand the power
of two. It wasn't until I started living out my dreams that I began to have a
feeling of significance. Once I had someone to be accountable to, I could start
focusing on my strengths and work to overcome my weaknesses. After accomplishing
some of these goals, I was finally able to reach out to others and help them overcome
what I had struggled with for so long. (And that is when you will finally begin
to feel whole and in control and at peace with the world!) You must understand
that it didn't happen overnight! In today's world, we have become so used to instant
rewards. Microwave ovens, fast foods, e-mail, and flashing commercials have fooled
us into thinking that life's rewards appear instantaneously. But they don't! That's
why you need an accountability partner -- Buddy Coach -- to stand with you when
you become discouraged or distracted. And you can do the same for them. As
you begin to work through this book, start thinking of someone who could be your
Buddy Coach. Who is a good and positive influence in your life? It should be someone
who brings out the best in you -- a friend or a co-worker, perhaps. You could
even start a circle of friends who get together to encourage one another (although
if you get too many people, it will take too long to counsel each other, and that
may discourage you from continuing). How about a Bible study that incorporates
the Buddy Coaching concept? As you take your personality test and begin to understand
yourself and others, it may help you to decide who you want to be your Buddy Coach.
Get ready to have an exciting time as you explore through this book and
discover things about yourself that you never knew before! Winners
evaluate themselves in a positive manner and look for their strengths as they
work to overcome their weaknesses. -- Zig Ziglar We
pray that our God may count you worthy of His calling, and that by His power He
may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith (II
Thessalonians 1:11). May God Himself, the God
who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together
-- spirit, soul and body -- and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus
Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If He said He'll do it,
He'll do it! (I Thessalonians 5:23). Order
your copy of Buddy Coaching by Amanda Rankin at Shop CBN More
Discipleship on the Spiritual Life Channel
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