McDonald’s Breakfast & Imputed Righteousness…

I missed breakfast the other morning. Nothing new… except this breakfast was special… it was McDonald’s breakfast to be specific! Mr. Medina had taken our orders via email because he was planning a special breakfast for the last day of our mentoring session. I and several local professionals had been participating in a mentoring project through a local high school as an extension of the work I do for the City in workforce development. This was an opportunity to pour into the lives of young men at a critical stage of life, where they begin to consider their career options and the rest of their professional lives. Was I making a real difference, though?

This is the question that had been haunting me since the program’s inception. They were nice enough guys, but again, my concern was whether I was genuinely connecting with them in an impactful manner. I had even asked Mr. Medina the same question during one of my previous visits. With his laid back and affirming demeanor, he always assured us that as mentors, our presence was appreciated even if we didn’t always per se make tangible progress with our mentees. I could tell that for him, results were less important than forming organic relationships with his students.

The morning of the breakfast, I got a late start leaving the house and realized there was no way I would make it in time. I decided just to go straight to my office instead. Disappointed that I couldn’t make it in, I emailed Mr. Medina my apologies and offered to reimburse him for my breakfast. The reply I received surprised me, though. Not only did he not want a reimbursement for the wasted food… he also noted, “I have a gift for the mentors!” I thought to myself, ‘now this is a picture of justification…’. I didn’t feel like I deserved the gift because I didn’t think I had put in enough work or shown up as often as I could have. Yet, not only was my sporadic attendance excused, but I was being gifted far beyond what my less than perfect mentorship deserved! It was as though I had mentored perfectly and consistently according to the righteousness Mr. Medina imputed to me that morning. By the way, I hope he enjoyed my breakfast for me…because he surely deserved it!