The Contrasts of age….
Someone quipped, “Old preachers don’t die, they just fade away.” Well, the fact is they do both.
And it could be said of young preachers that they don’t fade, they just brighten along the way.
There is a vast difference in the years of youthful uselessness and old age uselessness–the former is working on the credit system and the latter on the debit system–the youthful preacher bides his time knowing that experience and knowledge gained will eventually lead him into productive fields of labor but the old preacher begins to realize that his knowledge and experience is less and less required or requested. Perhaps this is the way that the design of ministry flow was meant to function. The stages of a man’s life from his birth to his death has been described as; dependent, learning, maturing, earning, returning and once again dependent.
The youthful preacher looks to a vista of tomorrows of history to make and the aged preacher looks back on a snapshot of yesterdays as a tale that is told. Having “been there, done that” is such a contrast to “getting there, will do it,” and “held in reserve” and “placed on the shelf” are poles apart.
The youthful preacher longs for the days of being used and the old preacher remembers the days of busy activity–and both reside in a limbo. Perhaps that is the way of the design…. and both must live with a hand in His hand to accomplish their days in grace.
Perhaps… that is the way…
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.”
Joel 2:28
— jlg —