Mending the Generational Gap

Here's a verse in Proverbs that has a great truth in it. It's about joining the generations. Its address is Proverbs 20:29. "The glory of young men (or women) is their strength, and the honor of old men (or women) is their gray hair."

Do you see the two seasons in this verse? This verse says there are certain advantages in each of these two seasons in life. Young men or women have the advantage of strength. The age the writer is talking about here is around 13-35. That's the season in life where, many times, you can make up in strength what you are lacking in wisdom. I've done that, and you have to! Young people have strength.

I remember living in the strength time of my life. I could cruise Central Avenue all night in my 1967 Z-28 Camaro, one of 602 made that year. Then, I could get home at four in the morning, sleep for two hours, and get up and go to work. I could water ski for hours without stopping on Lake Pleasant. I could play two 18-hole rounds without stopping. If I tried to do any of these now, they would be taking me to the hospital.

I used to identify with those in the strength phase of life. I was part of the Joshua Generation. Joshuas were young, active, and strong. I thought the Moses types in my life were old and out of touch. They have gray hair, stroll, and are generally cranky, especially on the golf course.

Now, I'm starting to identify with Moses. I'm doing gray hair things like watching the news and eating bran flakes, and I'm even beginning to like classical music. The hair on my head is growing out of my ears and nose. I keep telling myself, "I'm not losing hair. I'm gaining face!" I'm starting to sound like, act, and look like my father. I go to bed early and wake up early. When I play golf, I need four candy bars per eighteen holes.

But the gray hair time in life comes with an advantage also. Gray hair in the Bible means wisdom. You see, it's not all bad when you get older. It's an honor! Whether you like it or not, we all move from strength to wisdom at a certain age. Many times, what people call a mid-life crisis is when we, the people, transition from strength to wisdom. We know there's a transition, but we don't know where this transition is taking us. As a result, we act up or act out. Please, gray hairs, don't be that guy with his shirt unbuttoned halfway down and wearing a necklace. Dude! That's not wise.

Do you realize that each group has what the other needs? The strength group needs wisdom. The wisdom group needs strength. Soldiers need generals, pupils need teachers, interns need doctors, and children need parents. The opposite is true. The wisdom group also needs the strength group's new dreams, creativity, and passion. These two generations have much to gain from each other.

Look at this Biblical nugget about joining strength and wisdom for the common good of each other and the community. "I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one." I John 2:14.

In other words, gray hairs have wisdom. They know about wisdom and God because they have worked with God for a while. They don't just know about God. They know God and the ways of God. And look at the strengths and advantages of young people. They are strong; they have a built-in propensity for the word of God to stay with them and in them to overcome the works of evil in the world.

Evil tries to separate the generations by telling lies disguised as truth, creating hyphenated cultures and divisions, and creating generational gaps that isolate each generation from one another. When each generational group isolates from the other, calamity comes. Calamity is a work of evil.

An army without generals is quickly defeated. Why? Generals give wisdom and have war experience. Generals without an army are overtaken quickly. Why? There is little strength and perseverance to defeat a common enemy. There's a tragedy in both scenarios. Joining the generations releases sustainability.

Here's some wisdom for both groups. Gray hairs, mentor, volunteer, and stay involved to the extent that you can in and with people of the community. Your wisdom is essential for raising new generations of young people and passing along the wisdom that life has given you. Passing the baton with wisdom to a new generation is an honor! Now, make it your mission.

Young men and women, natural wisdom, not just knowledge, added with your strength, would go a long way in making your journey in life easier and more productive, as well as those around you. Remember, the only reason you can see further than the gray hairs is because you're sitting on their shoulders, and that's glorious.

I'm not saying every young person is unwise and every older person is wise. The guy with the half-buttoned shirt illustrates this. But get the concept: Strength and wisdom always need to work together for the benefit of all. And, young people, knowledge is no substitute for wisdom. It's not Mind the Gap; it's Mend the Gap.