Everywhere I Look

Have you ever noticed this quirk of human nature? When you or your family buys a new car, you now spot this same model all over the place on the roads. You may not remember seeing that model ever before and yet now it seems that everyone has one.

At the age of twenty-one I became aware of the need for discipleship and mentoring amongst Christians in general and other young guys in particular. Everywhere I look, I now see guys that need at least one close Christian friend and yet they can't seem to find one. The feeling was particularly prevalent for me within the past few months.

I was told that the pastors at my church (GTA) hear from numerous young men every month, asking where they can connect with another Christian guy because they need a real friend and because they want to mature in their Christian lives. I have three guys in mind that I personally know are looking for this.

Even though I have a personal connection with each of these guys and I probably have a good chance of developing a close friendship with them, I already have several close friendships, plus a Little Brother. As I learned a few years ago, I can't stretch myself too thin and I can't be everybody's friend. So I end up talking with people about this need, praying about these guys and writing a blog post. How effective is that?

In theory, a cell group/small group/life group would be a good setting to get young guys together and to help them connect and develop friendships and mentoring relationships between themselves. I've led that kind of group for two and a half years before and I've been a part of such groups several times. It's tough to break ourselves out of the Canadian mould of superficial friendships and the refusal to have a mentor.

At this point, I'm thinking of simply going out to lunch with one of these guys and talking to him about it. He was open enough to mention the need to me, so maybe I can talk to him about the other guys that I see in the same situation. I've often said that anyone that wants to mature just needs to become a leader and/or a mentor. You'll be sure to grow in a hurry. (I know I did.) It's not always a question of having someone more mature to mentor you, it's often a question of stepping out and being that mentor yourself.

Everywhere I look, I see a need.
Everywhere I look, I see me.
Everywhere I look, I see God's hand.
Everywhere I look, I see God's plan
For me.