In my journey of developing my photography skills, I quickly found myself limited in terms of shooting range and variety when photographing my friends and classmates in Paris, who served as my models.

During a photoshoot with photographer Zy Yung, I noticed he had a paparazzi-style lens in his bag that I really liked. It was the white Canon 70-200 lens I had dreamed of using. I wanted to rent it for photoshoots in Paris, so I called him to propose renting his equipment. His response on the phone was cold, as if he didn’t know me: “I don’t rent out my equipment,” he said curtly. I understood it wasn’t worth insisting. That was our last phone conversation.

As I walked home, feeling sad and frustrated, I heard God’s voice say to me: “I didn’t bring this man into your life to be your friend. I brought him into your life to be your mentor, so you could learn from him and take your talent to another level. You were stuck in photography, so I sent him to you; you’re not meant to be his friend.”

This teaching revolutionized my life. Since then, every time I meet a mentor, I make it a point not to become friends with them but to see them as destiny helpers who come into my life for a season appointed by heaven.

Many people have grown overly familiar with a passing mentor and missed their season of growth. There are very few people on earth who are authentically willing to reach out and invest in us so we can achieve our full potential. If you are fortunate enough to have such a person, then bless heaven, for it is God who has sent you help for your future…

This text is an excerpt from the book “THE POWER OF A MENTOR“ written by WILLIAM DJAMEN.

We invite you to read the following article: “THE INSECURE MENTOR.”

A BEAUTIFUL LESSON IN LEADERSHIP. A BEAUTIFUL LESSON IN LEADERSHIP.