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We can’t help but reflect on how healthy a ministry, church, or family can look when we stand together in unity. We may singularly feel inadequate, but when enough of us Charlie Browns get together, look out! We’ve got something beautiful.
We know some folks in their later seasons of life seem destined to die fruitless, never discovering their greater purpose in life. Sadly, perhaps we and other leaders aren't expecting anything special to emerge from their lives. Their spiritual fruit-bearing potential hasn't even crossed our minds. But they, like our late-blooming persimmons, deserve our attention, affirmation and investment.
It's our passion to see generations connect in more meaningful ways. Younger and older, polar opposites, moving from avoidance or dutiful tolerance to hearts that deliberately engage and love those at the opposite end of the age spectrum.
On over-waiting for the right moment, we love the advice of Seth Godin:
You might be waiting for things to settle down. For the kids to be old enough, for work to calm down, for the economy to recover, for the weather to cooperate, for your bad back to let up just a little...
The thing is, people who make a difference never wait for just the right time. They know that it will never arrive. Instead, they make their ruckus when they are short of sleep, out of money, hungry, in the middle of a domestic mess and during a blizzard. Whenever. As long as whenever is now.
We have an unsettled feeling about time and gravity subtracting from our physical height.
We see many Christian adults also settling for less spiritually in their later years.
Some may argue that adults in retirement are entitled to settle for less important aspirations. While our physical stature may lose an inch or two, we believe God calls us to keep growing and moving in our spiritual aspirations. And what could be more invigorating than following His desires for us!
You’ve probably seen the Geico commercial, pointing out that Pinocchio was a bad motivational speaker. His nose grows as he points to a lackluster gentleman in the audience and declares, “You have potential.”
When we talk about the untapped serving potential of older adults, we know some folks probably expect our noses to start growing as we speak.
We recognize the reality that most adults will face significant physical challenges as they grow older, and practically many serving “projects” grow out of reach.
But we also know spiritual strength can gush like a geyser in older hearts conspiring with God.
We do want to be good stewards of our time, and we won’t give up on efficiency. But we want to be careful too that we’re not shielding ourselves from important opportunities to share Christ’s love with people in a more personal way.
Truth is, we’re not designed to live for extended periods of time without responsibility. What appears pretty inviting and life giving can end up becoming burdensome and unhealthy when overextended---especially when separated from active listening for the Lord’s continued guidance.
Part of our mission is making sure the outfield stays in the game. Think about it. How would your favorite team fare if we eliminated the outfield positions?
They may get lucky, survive, or even thrive an inning or two without a ball going beyond the infield. But chances are good they’d soon discover how necessary these players are, both on the field and at the plate.
Is there anything inherently wrong with lopsidedness? As long as people are getting saved and nurtured in their faith, shouldn't generationally lopsided churches be celebrated? So what's the big deal if our canoes tip dramatically to the side of a particular age group? 'Whatever floats your boat', right?
Let's take our punching gloves off for a moment and yank at the plank in our own eyes. Hitting the pause button on our rants, let's pretend that WE in life's second half are our own worst enemy . . . all three of us: Me, myself, and I.
"How did it get so late so soon? It's night before it's afternoon. December is here before it's June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?”
DO YOU EVER FEEL LIKE YOU’RE WORSHIPPING GOD ON THE DECK OF THE TITANIC?
While we’re ultimately heaven-bound and on the winning team, what about the ship on which we’re currently sailing? Is it going down? Is it enough to just have faith that our ship won’t capsize---despite some alarming downward trends? Will current victories get swallowed up in a cold sea of systemic failure?
Truth is, you have a right and left side of your brain, and they are precisely your age. Neither side is younger or older, and both sides of you can be very engaging!
Stay cutting edge but don’t leave Herb & Mabel on the cutting floor, feeling edgy and edged out. Their eight tracks are perishable commodities, but they are imperishable.
Grandparenting is not the time to circle the wagons and focus only on family. Nor is it a time to forsake our calling as grandparents for the sake of reaching the world.