From One Generation to Another
A word for the younger generation…
Proverbs 4:6-7, "Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.”
The Lord himself has provided wisdom in his Word and through the Holy Spirit (thank you Jesus that you have not left us alone and clueless). Secondly, God provides us with his church, his people, the saints to help us understand the times we are living in and perspective on the seasons we walk through. I feel incredibly blessed that most of my church experiences have surrounded me with the older generation. In their presence, I recognize my own smallness, lack of experience and wisdom. And the older generation is right there for me to ask a million questions too. And I do have a million questions. Church can be hard. The Bible is often mysterious. Relationships are complicated and I need help understanding it all. The truth is I thought I had a lot figured out, but I don’t.
My encouragement for us all today is that if you too find yourself in a season of needing wisdom in your life, don’t wait to ask someone who is older and wiser than you. Humble yourself and make the ask. This is a beautiful aspect of our Christian fellowship that needs to be put more into practice: the younger generation seeking out deep meaningful relationships with the older one.
- Sarah Martin
A word from the “older generation”…
Hello! My name is Tina VanYzendoorn and I am Sarah’s aunt. Normally, my only input into this blog is some proofreading and a little editing. But recently, I was provoked by an Instagram post that Sarah wrote about valuing the older generation by seeking deep, meaningful relationships with them. As a member of the, ahem, older generation I wonder if you might indulge me for a bit as I share what I felt as I read her post.
Like Sarah, I was raised in a church full of older people – mostly women. When I was in elementary school, our youth leader assigned each of us kids a “Gospel Chapel Grandmother.” I’m sure she intended to try to integrate the generations to help create an appreciation in our young hearts for these ladies (most of whom were probably in their early 70s), and to combat the loneliness that the ladies were experiencing. Most of them lived in nursing homes and did not have any family nearby.
But, we were kids and hadn’t learned the value of those who had gone before. We hadn’t learned to sit and listen well to their stories. In all honesty, perhaps we listened the first or second time to the stories but lost patience pretty quickly when the stories kept being repeated. We didn’t understand why it was important that the stories be told. And, we didn’t understand that the ladies wanted to hear our stories.
Reciprocity – it’s one of my favorite words. Merriam-Webster defines reciprocity as “a situation or relationship in which two people or groups agree to do something similar for each other, as in a reciprocal arrangement or relationship”. Without integrity, reciprocity can quickly turn into something ugly – a means of giving only so we can get something back. But with integrity, reciprocity is beautiful. It looks like collaboration, harmony, fellowship, unity, affinity, connection, and kinship.
So, yes. Please do reach out to us when you need wisdom or a different take on what you are going through. Reach out when life brings pain and you need comfort. Reach out when things are confusing or you feel like God is far away. Reach out when you have unanswered questions. We may not have the answers, but we understand the struggle.
But also reach out to share your adventures, dreams, hopes, and victories. We need your stories, too! Call us and tell us how the Lord spoke to you through the Word. Text us about an answered prayer. Come over and share funny tidbits of life. Your experiences are important and our faith is built as you share them with us. Our strength is renewed as we participate with you in the awe of God’s greatness.
So, help a Grandma out! Tell me your stories.
-Tina VanYzendoorn