The Difference Between Young Men & Old Men

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: (Joel 2:28)

For years my family would gather each Summer and spend a few days in the hills of North Carolina to enjoy the Wilcox Family Reunion. The old codgers would gather together and tell stories of the good ol' days. To me those events could be called just about anything, but good would not be one of the descriptions! (Though my family's roots go back to the country, my life has been fully entrenched in the suburbs and I gladly take the title of "city slicker".) I would also see my cousins getting together. When we were younger, we would gather for games of football or other competitive activities. As we got older, some would take off in their cars and find out what was happening down in the hollers of Lenoir. When we all became adults it seemed that most of the guys would get together and talk about their work.

This was interesting to me. The older guys would sit on the porch and talk about the past, while the younger guys would gather together and discuss the future. Isn't that what Joel 2 states would be the case? The older guys are more worn out than the younger guys and they enjoy stopping for a few minutes to reminisce about some of the events from years gone by. They have seen a lot of things in their years on this earth and tend to be more cynical about the future. Change might be made and then again, maybe it won't. The old men view what is important from different standards than the younger guys. Most of their stories center around people instead of the great things that they have accomplished. These seniors have their priorities established much better than the young bucks. Boy, can they tell some good stories!

When the young men get together, they discuss how they are going to become a success, and if they already have, they are more apt to look down on you since you haven't arrived. While the old men are dreaming dreams of a bygone era, the energy that the next generation has, allows them to see visions. Their discernment has not been sharpened like their parents, but they do have a strong desire to get something done and make a difference in this world!

As I look around at the group of pastors that God has given to the Virginia Baptist Bible Fellowship, I see the same thing. We have a discerning group of pastors who are my seniors. They have been through much of what I have not. When they discuss the good ol' days, it doesn't always sound so good. They have sacrificed so I could enjoy the fruit of their labor. But at times this group can become cynical and say things like the congregation I pastor, "We've never done it this way before!!" God has given me energy and vision and I am excited to be a part of something that can make a difference for eternity! Maybe at times my vision is lacking the "know how" that only experience can give us. At other times some of us young pastors have taken the baton and ran ahead too quickly. Conservative Baptists are almost always more traditional, than cutting edge. (It appears to me that you can't be conservative and cutting edge anymore than you can be a Republican and agree with Hillary Clinton.)

It apears at times our fellowship meetings are a lot like my family reunions. One group is sitting over on the porch talking about the past and then we see a group energetic renegades wanting to change everything around them. Sometimes both groups are eyeing the other in distrust thinking the other is either outdated or immature. What would happen if the old folks shared some of their discernment with the next generation? What would it be like if the younger pastors shared their energy, vitality and vision with their seniors in a way that they felt respected and appreciated? The old men receiving new strength and the young men accepting some better judgment! One thing that 14 years of experience working with pastors has shown me is that we may never know!