“I feel like I’m 18 years old, but when I look in the mirror it tells me something different.”
I laughed as 82-year-old Mr. Bickley gave a little wink and walked slowly away. There was something in his eye that told me he was telling the truth.
Age is relative. I was a college senior, and a new roommate was placed in our apartment by the housing department. We couldn’t believe it when we walked in after Christmas break — there sat an old man on our couch. We asked him if we could help him, and he said he was our new roommate. How could we be placed with an old man? He would be in bed by 9 p.m. every night!
“How old are you?” I asked.
“Thirty-five,” he said.
Thirty-five seems pretty young to me now, and I long for 9 p.m. bedtimes!
God is not concerned with your age. He is concerned with your obedience. He took a baby and changed the world, and He took an old man and brought his people out of slavery.
The reality is that we are all just a few seconds away from death, so why not make the most of it? Age tends to be a great excuse for not obeying Jesus. Young people wait around on being responsible until they are 22 (or sometimes 30), and older people tend to hit retirement mode about 20 years too early. Somewhere in the middle there is a mad rush to be successful, chase careers and raise a family.
The generations have a lot to learn from one another.
Younger people need to be patient and listen to the older generation and hear stories of when the phone was stuck to the wall. Let the older generation teach you about how to have relationships face to face and work through conflict without a cell phone stuck in your face. Learn from their triumphs and tragedies rather than repeating the process. Realize that 50 years of experience in this world may be more valuable than Google.
The older generation would do well to empower the younger generation rather than trying to maintain control. Release them to take a risk to change the world instead of stifling them with stories of why it can’t be done. Encourage them in their struggles, and dust them off as they fall. Turn the music up a notch at church and put in ear plugs. It’s better than the alternative of sitting in silence. Teach them the truths of Scripture through your life and mistakes.
“Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come” (Psalm 71:18).
The reality is that we need each other. Let us unite and be an unstoppable force. The lost are worth it.
— If you struggle with sharing Jesus with someone close to you, consider reading “Close Encounters” by Lee Clamp, available at CourierPublishing.com. Clamp is evangelism group director for the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Follow him at leeclamp.com and on Twitter: @leeclamp.