Make Old People Great Again
Where'd they go?
I can already hear the reaction:
*SCOFF*
Who are you calling “Old people?”
No matter what percentage of that is said seriously and what percentage is in jest, it perfectly demonstrates the problem:
We think being old is a bad thing
There are two obvious problems with this. 1) Getting old is inevitable. Everybody blessed with a long enough lifespan goes through it, and we shouldn’t be ashamed of one of life’s natural phases. 2) God views it as a good thing.
“Wisdom is with aged men,
With long life is understanding.” Job 12:12
“A gray head is a crown of glory;
It is found in the way of righteousness.” Proverbs 16:31
“The glory of young men is their strength,
And the honor of old men is their gray hair.” Proverbs 20:29
We don’t even want to have gray hair, much less honor it as the blessing it is. The glorification of youth and youth culture that goes back to the rock and roll 50’s and the advent of the television has led multiple generations to idolize the years from age 16-25.
And sure, it’s fun to crank up a Journey song every now and then and reminisce about the fun times in high school and college, cruising around with the bros. (I could fill this paragraph in with plenty of other examples, but I think everybody knows the kind of thing I’m talking about, because they’ve seen it plenty.) But at a certain point, that needs to be then and this needs to be now. We don’t need 20-year-olds in 60 year old bodies. We already have 20-year-olds.
What we need is full-fledged 60-year-olds, and 70-year-olds, and 80-year olds.
The duty only you can fulfill
Because, if nobody wants to be a senior citizen, then we don’t have the grey-headed wisdom of the aged that the Bible values so much. And while most of this discussion about being old is done in jest, the real implications show up when our 60, 70, and 80-year-olds either have terrible, worldly advice to give or refuse to lovingly take up the challenge of making disciples of the younger generations. The Hebrew writer’s charge that “by now, many of you should be teachers” comes to mind.
Young people need to respect their elders, and their elders need to stop getting offended at being called their elders. Any time Boomers and Gen Xers cling to their youth and refuse to take on the responsibility of being the old, we won’t have anyone to carry out this crucial duty.
The blessing of older, wiser leadership
Loving, Godly-minded older people who lead those coming up behind them are the most honorable people you’ll find. But that honor only comes to those with the sense of duty. Age isn’t a guarantee of wisdom.
A poor yet wise lad is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive instruction. For he has come out of prison to become king, even though he was born poor in his kingdom. I have seen all the living under the sun throng to the side of the second lad who replaces him.” Ecclesiastes 4:13-15
The worst thing the older members of society can do is to demand the honor due their age without exercising the responsibility that comes with it. One cannot project a commitment to eternal adolescence on one hand and demand to be vaunted as a gray-headed sage on the other.
Obviously, there are many older Christians who have taken on their role with love and dignity. We should give them regular honor and praise. And this article is not a shot at them.
But they also embody why this is so important, and why I’m writing about the issue. Once we’ve seen what a mature older Christian can bring to the table, we should want to see it out of every older Christian. This puts the weight on those who cling to the “glory years” of their youth and will not take their place as the “old people.”
There is a time for all things, including a time to be young and a time to be old. Be proud of your old age. It’s a blessing from the Lord you can use to bless others.
As always, if you enjoy the articles and podcasts here, you can support my work by:
Sharing via email or social media (click the button above)
Becoming a premium subscriber, and picking up 4 eBooks as a thank you
One of my pet peeves is “old people” saying “let the younger people do it. I’ve paid my dues,” like serving God is burdensome. Also, the younger generation cannot do the work if they have not been taught. We all slow down as we get older, so we need to share our experience in order to teach others what we do. The church can be lost without the wisdom and experience of older members, just as it will die without young people.
You nailed it. As I have gotten older, I find that when my peers start a convo with, "Back in my day..." or "When I was their age..."
I find my eyes kinda glaze over, I remember my "glory years" quite well. They werent that glorious, and in hindsight I screwed stuff up enough for multiple lifetimes.
The scars are earned and deserved, the memories priceless.
Would I ever want to go back and do it again...Absolutely not.
Not sure I how I survive some of my stupid the first time...