strangers become mentors
e x o d u s 2 : 2 1 a
Moses agreed to stay with the man…
We are told very little about Moses’s father-in-law when we first encounter him in the story. We know that he is a priest whose household lives in Midian. We know that he is called Reuel, which means “friend of God,” and he extends hospitality to a stranger, Moses, who helped rescue his daughters and sheep.
As the story of Moses progresses, we come to recognize that through these years in Midian, Jethro (a title meaning “his Excellency”) and Moses form a close bond. Moses looks to Jethro for blessing and direction in life. In short, Moses will come to recognize Jethro as a mentor.
This formative relationship for Moses and Jethro would have never occurred had Jethro not been willing to extend hospitality to a stranger. As mentors shaped by God’s story, we must be committed to inviting strangers into our lives. It is not merely a mandate we are to follow but a part of our identities as “friends of God.”
Are you inviting strangers into your life?
