Jimbo's Jots

College students will start looking for internships and apprenticeships at the beginning of their freshman year. Education majors will be put in a classroom for observing how a classroom will function. Business students will begin to look for ways to get in to a company in various capacities to see how their major will play out. Having an intern or apprentice is not really new.

Paul had an apprentice in Timothy. A young preacher, Timothy, had been asked to serve the church in Ephesus. Paul saw Timothy as a son in the faith and used that platform to encourage Timothy. In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, believed to be Paul’s last letter he would write, he encouraged his young apprentice to “follow the pattern . . . that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 1:13)

Recently, I was asked to lead a inservice for teachers and staff at a local Christian school. In our last session, we discussed this at length by looking at the students as apprentices and teachers as mentors. As parents, these same principles can apply to how we parent. Here is what I shared (http://info.wartburg.edu/Portals/0/Pathways/Mentoring/The%20Five%20Mentor%20Approaches.pdf):

1. Build a relationship – Paul first has to establish a relationship with Timothy in order to give instruction.
2. Communicate openly – Paul used the platform of the letter to communicate. However, since we have the daily encounter, we can take advantage of these opportunities. It also means we have to listen (as parents) and not just give out.
3. Ask not telling – give our kids opportunity to explore by asking questions and giving them permission to ask questions creates another opportunity to share and create conversations with our kids.
4. Magnify the positive – look for ways you can encourage your children daily. Even when our kids mess up and need some “constructive feedback”, it’s important they hear the positive as well.
5. Look for possibles – as a therapist, early in my coursework, a theme emphasized was “we are not to give advice”, we are to offer other scenarios to find a better solution. Guiding our kids versus giving them the answers will help develop solution thinking.

Give our kids an opportunity to grow academically and spiritually by creating an environment that allows for creativity and exploration. You never know – you may have a Timothy on your hands!

Be blessed and be a blessing!