My husband and I are members of a wonderful church plant that is located right in the middle of inner-city Baltimore. It was not our intent to become a part of a church in the city, but we had been looking for a church for a while, so when some good friends invited us to visit their church, we decided to go for the fun of it! This spontaneous visit to a young church plant changed our lives in every way!
That first Sunday we were encouraged and challenged by the expository preaching, drawn into the singing of scripture-based worship music, and were moved by heartfelt prayers. We could tell, right away, that we were sitting among a congregation of believers who were intentional and passionate about their walk with God and living out the gospel. After the service, we were surrounded by young people who wanted to welcome us and get to know us and when we were introduced to one of the pastors, he looked at us and said, “We need people your age here. We would love it if you would stay!”
We drove home that Sunday having been changed by our time at that church and as we talked and prayed about it, we concluded that we were being called to begin attending this church of 20–40-year-old brothers and sisters in Christ. When a group of young people say to you, “We need people your age in our lives!” that is not something you ignore. This is our biblical calling as the older generation!
We now have the privilege of living life with this young congregation and one of the things we try to stress when we are in conversation is this: “We need you too!”
It is easy for younger people to look at us, an older couple in their 60’s, and think we might have all the answers or that they do not have much to offer us, but that could not be farther from the truth. We need them and we are learning so much from them. Our young pastors are being used to help us continue to learn and understand God’s Word and our fellow members are constantly teaching us, by their examples, what the meaning of biblical community is as they zealously live it out every day. They are helping us learn how to apply Scripture and live out the gospel in a culture where things are happening that we never would have imagined when we were younger.
As we have gotten older, my husband and I have seen many of our peers become tired and discouraged as many have lived through a lifetime of heartache, trials, and disappointments. We have seen some become disillusioned with the church and decide to stop serving. We have seen some lose touch with what is going on around them in the world, get stuck in their ways, and become resistant to change in the church. Sadly, they are missing out on the opportunity to humbly learn from those who are younger than they are, they are missing out on the privilege of building friendships with the younger generation, and they are missing out on the calling that we see in Psalm 145:4:
“One generation shall commend your works to another and shall declare your mighty acts.”
I have the privilege of being able to share with those younger than me how God has carried me, provided for me, and how He has been faithful in my life. That is my calling in the season I am in. That is what I bring to the table. But I need them as much as they might think they need an older person in their lives.
I am grateful when someone says to me “I need your wisdom” and I am happy to share the things that God has taught me! But I do not sit peacefully, sipping tea and scattering my wisdom all over the place. God is still growing me up, teaching me to find rest, peace, and joy in him. I am more aware than ever before of how needful of him I am and that if anything good is seen in my life, it is because he is there. If there is anything good seen in my family, it is because of a work he has done.
I will share how God has worked in my life, that he is working now, and that he is faithful. I will. join you in going to the Word and we can learn together. I will strengthen you in God and encourage you to lean on him.
As we age, we go through many changes and there is much we must release. There has been the release of our strong, younger bodies that have now become achy and that tire more easily – and there are wrinkles and lines on our faces. Yes, there are things we have had to release, yet we have been released to new ways of living, new ways of serving, and we have more examples to share with our younger brothers and sisters about God’s faithfulness. We can help them persevere for the long haul as we model what it means to persevere for the long haul.
Learning to hold fast to God’s promises that tell us he is faithful enables us to move forward into the next season of life, even though change can be unsettling. It is what allows us to release our loves and comforts so that we can be released for what is next for us in God’s plan. It is what gives us the bigger perspective of God’s promises for eternity. We need him and his strength to enable us to persevere to the end so that we will experience all that he has promised to those who are faithful and trust him with their lives. Sharing all this is what I love about my season of life and living life with the younger generations.
I need you. We need each other!
