So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes.—
Genesis 16:4
The story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar throws up many noteworthy life and leadership lessons. Today, we examine the principle of mentoring. Hagar, for our purposes, represents a protege or mentee. She was serving under the wings of her mentor, Sarah. Abraham and Sarah were trusting God for children. For some inexplicable reason, Sarah proposed a revised arrangement in which Hagar doubled up as a concubine to Abraham. Soon after that, Hagar became pregnant with Ishmael.Genesis 16:4
As soon as she experienced the change of status, Hagar compared herself to her mentor Sarah, who was childless at the time, and despised her. It made little difference to her that her new status was a result of Sarah’s own decision or intervention. This led to a deterioration in the relationship between Sarah and Hagar. This is a common occurrence in many mentoring relationships. A person being guided or coached in a particular field gets their first break and they immediately compare themselves to their superior or mentor and feel that they have ‘arrived.’
That feeling tends to be premature because they are often still building capacity. That opening is just another step in a developmental journey with many more twists and turns. Hagar would later realise that there was much more to the story and the dealings of God than she had seen. Your first speech, book, sermon, contract or travel abroad should not be the basis of comparison with those God is using to lift you up. The humility to see the first glimpse of promotion and still remain under authority and tutelage is your key to sustainable progress on life’s journey.
Prayer:
Lord, grant me the grace to appreciate those You have set over me.Scripture Reading:
Genesis 16:1-6
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