Mentorship, by definition, is a guidance-based relationship between an experienced individual (mentor) and a less-experienced individual (mentee), that focuses on developing skills, knowledge, and character. It reduces the time-taking to acquire skill, knowledge, or character. It is the mold from which a needed behavioural or structural pattern is formed.

My first experience at mentorship was growing up with my parents. My father Athanasius Uwakwe and my mother Patricia Uwakwe were my very first mentors. Growing up in a family of five: my dad and my mum and three boys. I was in the middle: the second of three boys. I saw how my father treated my mother with respect. Never raised his voice at her, never argued for as much as ten minutes with her, never abused his privilege as the head of the family. In the condominium where we lived at the time, you could hardly tell when my father was around. Often, he’d recline in solitude with a mini radio to listen to BBC broadcasting over middle waves across Africa. I got my gentle nature from my father. However, my mother, on the other hand, is entirely a different ball game. She was the direct opposite of my father’s demeanor. My mother likes to keep to herself, but if you make her mad, you will get double for the trouble. She’s neither afraid of a man or a woman. Put both together and she will look at them in the eyes and say what’s on her mind. She’s a lion when it comes to securing what belongs to her and her children. She could go the extra mile to ensure she achieved what she set her mind at. She is a goal getter. And when she avails herself to help in precarious situations, she goes the long haul. I got my leadership mindset from my mother.
When I was in primary school four: because in Nigeria a child attends primary school one through six in 6 years period. As a young child in school, I was performing poorly academically from primary one through three. As a matter of fact, in primary three, my result was so bad that when my father asked me for my result, I told him we weren’t given. This made my father come to my school only to discover that I was given the result but had hidden it because I had almost the least position in the class. My father had my class teacher at the time discipline me in front of the class. I cried and the whole girls in the class made fun of me for several days. But after this incident my mind began exploring ways of becoming the best pupil in school.

Now in my class, there’s a friend of mine, he outperformed every pupil in the class for three consecutive years. So, my mind began or should I say my spirit began to teach me about mentorship. At the assembly line every morning, I will stand behind this friend of mine and gesture at every move he makes. In my little thinking at the time, I conclude that his mannerism was the key to his brilliance. So, when a sings, I will sing; when he turns his head, I will turn my head; when he reads his books, I will pick up the exact same text and read. I continued in this line of modifying my baviour to conform to that of my friend the entire academic year. And eventually I moved from the least position in my class to the second position behind my friend who had the first position. I was so proud to have achieved this great fit, yet the result of my overnight success was attributable to taking a behavioural cue from a friend who was smarter than I was.
As little as that experience was, it made a great impression on my mind. That experience spurs me to always, in every place and circumstance, look for a mentor, someone who has achieved the result I’m looking for, and take a cue from him.

In scriptures there are several examples of men and women who under the mentorship of a prophet, a teacher, or a lay person achieved tremendous results. The Bible teaches about myriads of achievers whom certain privileges were given because they were mentored. These men and women had leadership potential, spiritual guidance, spiritual covering, and empowerment.

Case in point, Joshua under the mentorship of Moses.
Deuteronomy 31:7
[7] And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.

Joshua ministered to Moses and gleaned wisdom on how to navigate the children of Israel the promise land. Joshua was able to build upon the successes of Moses. He saw how Moses served God and was humble. He knew humility and being faithful to the commandment of God was the bargaining power of Moses; and so, he took a cue from that. At one time, Joshua told the children of Israel, “… Choose you this day whom ye will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” This was a statement of conviction born out of mentorship.

Another example of mentorship is Elijah and Elisha.
2 Kings 2:14
[14] And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.

Elisha served and ministered to Elijah to the point that his service became a proverb in the land of Israel. “… And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah.” Such a statement could only be said of one who learnt from his mentor and has achieved, if not more, results as his mentor.
Notice in that text that Elisha did what he saw Elijah do. That text says, [i]“And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither” Prior to this incident, in verse eight of second Kings chapter two, Elijah took his mantle and wrapped it together and smote the waters and it divided. Now when Elisha came to the same situation, so to speak, he repeated the action of Elijah and got the same result. Thus, mentorship is a mentee repeating the action of a mentor.

Of course, we cannot discuss mentorship without mentioning, Jesus and the twelve apostles.
Acts 4:13
[13] Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

Did you notice the last statement in that text? “… And they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” This statement is a testament to the fact that those men were well mentored: because they got the same result as their mentor, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Mentorship is a double-edged sword. For the most part, it places the mentee in a vantage position to acquire double fold of what the mentor had. This fact is corroborated in the saying, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” (John 14:12).



Jesus Is Lord!

Do not hoard knowledge, propagate it!

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