The Ferocious Mentor

I recently spent a few weeks' worth of bedtime stories reading Rudyard Kipling's classic, The Jungle Book, to my son. In it a young human boy, Mowgli, is separated from his parents during a tiger attack, and is raised by jungle animals. Among these beasts, Mowlgi has two designated mentors, Baloo the Bear and Bagheera the Panther. These two are charged with teaching Mowgli the necessary laws and skills to not only survive, but thrive, in the jungle.

As I read the story to my son, I became uncomfortable with the way Mowgli was treated by Baloo and Bagheera. Occasionally they were unkind, scathing, even physically abusive. Yet, they always did these things for the stated purpose of preparing Mowgli to survive the harsh realities of the world in which he lived. I began to think about this relationship and my experience with mentorship. I've had a number of would-be "mentors" in my life. Often, these were individuals who would praise my giftedness in an attempt to secure greater commitment to a specific ministry or cause. That isn't mentoring. However, I have also encountered those rare individuals with the talent and courage to rip open my soul with one question and cause me to face realities in myself I would rather have ignored. They pushed me to go places and do things that made me uncomfortable and fearful. Yet, despite all of the ferocity they unleashed on my developing character, they reserved a good deal for my support, protection, and edification. Much like Baloo and Bagheera, they often behaved in ways I initially believed unkind, even hurtful, but remained by my side, guiding me through the experience and leading me to a place where I was more acquainted with Truth and better equipped to mature in life and ministry.

Baloo and Bagheera have taught me that, while a mentor should be caring and attentive, he must also sometimes be ferocious, for he doesn't aim to raise up a "man cub" who ekes out a living, but one that thrives and lives victoriously in this, often brutal, world.

This post is part of Evangelical Seminary's Leadership Synchroblog.