Proverbs 15:22 (NKJV)
22 Without counsel, plans go awry, But in the multitude of counselors they are established.
Why reinvent the wheel? Why not learn from the mistakes of others? You don’t have time to make them all yourself. Everyone should be a mentor and have a mentor! Someone who can guide you through life’s challenges and help you avoid the pitfalls. When you need someone with whom to discuss something, it would be great to have a listening ear of a person that cares about you. I had many such people. Of course, my Dad was the primary one but there were four men in particular that came along at times of transition in my life. It is said that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Wally Kowalenko, Ed Zinszer, Anthony Grausso and Brock Dutton were four men whom God placed in my life in His perfect timing. There are many more but one of these four told me to be brief. I am sorry that this devotion is so long but what would you have me leave out. Each one of these men played a part in making me the man of God I am today.
Today is Wally’s birthday. Here is a man who asked me to come live with him for the summer at a time when I was engaged in all out war with my Mother. Wally was there to build my confidence at a time when I had none. He taught me many things about auto mechanics and about life. He taught me to believe in myself! Wally was always my champion ever since I was born which was when he came to live with our family. It is easy to accomplish things in life when someone believes in you. Wally was that someone at that time and now. He still encourages and believes in me today!
Edwin J. Zinszer came into my life through my girlfriend/fiance’/wife. Ed was the father of Jean’s good friend Jimmy Zinszer from school. The families were very close. Ed was a most loveable and funny man. He had a lot of wisdom and was a great relationship builder. Ed had crippling arthritis which limited the things he could personally do. As such, he had to teach others (mostly his children and sometimes me) to do things he could not physically do any more. It taught him patience. He could explain to a novice how to repair an item. He taught Cyndi to change her own oil and service her own car. Ed was a strong man of God. It is said that you might be the only Bible some people ever get to read. I read the Zinszer Bible and learned about the Lord from Ed. He lived the Christian life! It took a few years but I came to know Jesus seven years after Ed went to be with the Lord. What can I say? I am a slow learner. But I did learn that lesson. Thank you Ed. Save me a seat please.
Next on the hit parade is Anthony J. Grausso. In 1973, my Dad and I rented our first service station. Dad was out of work and I was good at fixing cars. We decided we could make a living at this and we were right. One afternoon, Tony drove in to speak with us about joining the NJ Gasoline Retailers Association of which he was the Field Representative. There was something special about this man. He was humble and kind and always willing to share knowledge, if you would just ask. Two things stand out that I learned from Tony. First was to play possum as he called it. He taught me to always let the other guy think they are smarter than you and they will tell you all kinds of things that will be of benefit. Second, be careful about giving advice. You had to ask Tony for the advice. Someone once told me that unsolicited advice was criticism. Tony would never give advice but he would ask “now are you sure you want to do that?” That always prompted me to ask why and he helped me avoid many costly blunders.
We come to Brock Dutton, a man fiercely devoted to God! I met Brock at a men’s fellowship group at a local Church. I went there to enjoy fellowship with other Christian men who were more mature in their faith than I was. That was easy to find because I had just begun my walk with Christ. Brock is what I consider a Spiritual Giant in the faith. His main focus in building the Kingdom! He is going to be embarrassed about me talking this way about him because he is also humble. And he gets these devotions. We started out with Brock being my Spiritual Accountability Partner but that was more than 16 years ago. We meet for breakfast once a week whenever possible. Over the years, we have become advisors to each other and deep friends. As with the others, I love this guy! Brock has been an incredible advisor. If I had to narrow it down to one thing, it would be his best question, “What are you going to give up in order to take on that project?” I now hear that question in my head whenever I even begin to think of something I want to do. If I can’t answer the question, I can’t do the project.
I have heard that each person should have a Paul, a Barnabas and a Timothy in their life. You are supposed to be a Mentor, an encourager and a mentee. I have been blessed more than you can imagine. When you pour yourself into someone’s life, you may never know how much it means to them. God has always blessed me in that He has always shown me the fruits of my labors and investments. I learned of one tonight. I never realized how much my investment of time meant to a young lady who was 8 at the time and a friend of our family. She revealed to me that she never forgot how I used to help her with her homework and the difference it made for her. I had long forgotten about doing that but she remembers it 40+ years later. You just never know how far those deeds will travel. What investment have you made in others? Do you even know what a difference it will make? God does! And He asks you to invest in people. I can tell you about the scores of people who have invested in me but I am not fully aware about those in whom I have invested. In whom can you invest? Also, ask God to reveal to you the fruits of those investments. You will be encouraged!
Father, I thank you for all the wonderful people You have brought into my life. Some were for a reason and some for a season. Thank You for revealing to me the fruits of those investments I have made. Your blessings are overwhelming! I ask that you bless all those who have blessed me and that I have blessed in Jesus name!