In a couple of weeks I will be delivering the keynote message to Ohio Northern University’s third year pharmacy students at the annual ONU Pharmacy Mentorship Dinner. The third year is a pivotal year in the life of a pharmacy student. It’s a time for these soon to be professionals to begin thinking about the real world and what they want to do in three years after they graduate as Doctors of Pharmacy. The mentorship program is an opportunity to bring back pharmacy “veterans” like myself in order to lend guidance to these future health care professionals. I have to pinch myself when considering my past…to think I am asked to mentor pharmacy students???? If this isn’t evidence of how Jesus can turn a life around then I don’t know what is.
The point I will be making to the students is very basic yet paramount to their future success and of course something I can totally relate to. I will be telling them that “they will become the decisions they make in their life” and that the people they choose to seek guidance from, i.e. their mentors, will play a big part in their decision making process and subsequent successes and/or failures. It will be easy for me to compare and contrast my crash and burn mentors from the past with my uplifting mentors of today.
I enjoy watching the Capital One commercials with their tag line “What’s in your wallet?” Their whole goal is to convince consumers that their card is the best…I have to wonder if that might be an oxymoron (best credit card??) anyway, take a moment and ask yourself “Who’s in your space?” Who are your mentors? Today I try my best to seek guidance from others who will enhance my behavior and in turn better my life. I try to keep my “space” as crisp and focused as possible and it begins with having Jesus at the center and strong Jesus followers close by. In my previous life I saught guidance from those who would help me justify my behavior.
Ask yourself who you’ve sought guidance from recently? Is it someone who simply justified your decision or is it someone who challenged it and ultimately enhanced it? By the way, not seeking guidance qualifies as finding “someone” to justify your behavior…can you say “the committee in your head?…”the committee” was my mentor for the last 6 months of my drug life…there is no worse place to be.
If you want to be excellent seek excellence from excellent others, if you want to be average seek average from average others, if you want to be nothing seek no guidance. Fill your space with people who will encourage your growth by helping you make the right decisions. You cannot do it alone.
Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us to “consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another…” Solomon (the son of King David) tells us in Proverbs…13:20 “Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.” Proverbs 11:14…“there is safety in having many advisers.” Even King David, the greatest king of the old testament had many advisers.
For more on this topic see my “Great Thinking” blog on February 21st. BTW…if you are looking for a great read that is a great example of “you become the decisions you make” read “The Traveler’s Gift” by Andy Andrews.
P.E.A.C.E.
Hey Jay you touched on a spot that came into play with me this week. Aloneness. Many of us that are in recovery, got there by acting out when we were alone. Aloneness often being one of the reasons for their addiction(s). Thinking that whatever their addiction is, it would only effect themselves. Therefore it is only going to effect/hurt me. Guess what, even if we are the last of our line, our acting out not only effects us, but also effects God as well. It saddens him. We act out to take away the pain or we reason that owe it to ourselves. Those of us that have mentors can and should call to them for assistance when we are tempted to act out. They are the “Help I can’t do it alone” you spoke about in the above message. What we also need to be aware of is our selfish pride that often stops us from making that call. You think that you don’t want to bother your mentor when its 1:00 in the morning because it would be rude and troublesome. That is your pride interfering, (and Satan is saying “YES”) Then when your mentor holds you accountable, you are reminded that you can’t do it alone, and you are supposed to call him. That is part of his paying it back. Don’t take that privilege from him.
God Bless our mentors and accountabilitypartners. Meeting with them strengthens our faith and builds our spiritual wisdom and gives us knowledge.
A mentor revealed this to me
Reed
Good stuff Reed, what sucks so much is the aloneness thing almost becomes an addiction in and of itself. That is why it is so important for me to plan every single day with time limits or else I am in trouble. Good to hear from you brother and although I would be a little out of it at 1am, please do not hesitate to call me if you need someone to talk to.
Thanks Buddy