A Visionary or a Dreamer?

[ The day of the Lord ] ‘And afterwards, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Joel 2:28 NIV

Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you. Deuteronomy 7:32 NIV

The true Church of Jesus Christ is broad in the sense that it has room for young and old. Even now, I understand that I can learn from the younger folks who have a full heart for Jesus. Of course in the same way, our youth must recognise that with age comes experience, and that experience has often come with its own scars. They may not be visible, but they are there and are scars nonetheless.

One of the big things any parent does for their family, is to help them avoid some of the hurt and pain they suffered as they travelled their faith journey. There is a fine balance to be used by both the mature, and the newer Christian. We can and must learn from each other.

The older generation must never look down their long noses in dismay at the behaviour of the youth of our church. Do you remember what you were like at their age? We need to be honest as we think about that. Similarly, to avoid Spiritual danger, our young folks must not dismiss the old ‘wrinklies’ as though they have nothing to add to their lives. They do, and it is significant!

So while our young sons and daughters will prophesy and see visions, the older folks will recall their younger days of long past generations, and pass on the glories of those days. Both are important, but both age groups must be open to each other and willing to learn from the other. If we don’t, we are in great danger of missing out on so much Spiritual growth!

Old Dog - New Tricks

You know how the old saying goes: “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” and it may be true for some, but I would suggest that ‘Old dogs’ (like me) would sometimes do well to go back and relearn some of those ‘old tricks’ we had once known and mastered many years before. Tradesmen use the term: “Measure twice, cut once” and the sense is obvious. You can’t undo the cut.

In general, older, more mature folks find it more difficult to adapt to change or learn new things. That could be why they are the hardest group to convince of new ideas in a church setting. But let’s be kind. Older folks have also been around the block a few times, and they have already seen some well meant changes that didn’t succeed. In fact the more appropriate phrase “crash and burn” comes to mind, and in the effort to avoid it happening again, along with the loss of some good friends and members, they are loathe to go down that road again until they are sure of success. A big part of this reluctance lies behind the definition of ‘success’. It is going to take a good argument, and a gentle push for that to happen a second time.

One of the best lessons I learned in life, was to wait a second or two before giving my first answer in response to a question. Especially one that pushes my buttons and gets my dander up. It happens. Right? And nowhere more so than on social media because each side is safely tucked behind their laptop or phone screen. Blind to the prospect of the return salvo which causes more harm than good. Sure, you got it out of your system, but the one who responds sees it as more than that. They may see it as a personal slight. Of the hundreds of people who would see the offending post, that one person will see it as deliberately aimed at them. Sadly, we were not one step ahead in our thinking when we pressed the ‘send’ button, and a few seconds of serious thought could have avoided the ‘atmosphere’ now descending on your relationship.

The lesson? Whether personally, or in a group, measure twice, and cut once!