It happened when I wasn’t looking. It happened without my permission. It wasn’t planned. And I don’t like it.
We moved to Wisconsin and I’ve begun looking for a job. Imagine my shock when I was told that there is a special office to help people who are….wait for it….old. Also known as being over fifty. Apparently those of us who have reached the advanced age of fifty find it difficult to locate employment.
There was a day when we revered experience and wisdom that comes from time lived, decisions made, and lessons learned. I have always loved when our sons call for advice and direction. In fact, I still call my parents for advice and direction. You see, I know that time lived has brought wisdom to them. They’ve lived, learned, and experienced life. The knowledge that they have gained they are willing to share. Admittedly, when I was younger it seemed like they were sharing more often than I would have chosen. Our boys no doubt feel that way about us.
Many gifts come as a result of age and experience. One of them is perspective. As a teenager, I believed that my problems were insurmountable and never ending. What I didn’t realize is that those problems and challenges were temporary. They weren’t never ending – in fact, many of them ended the next day. I didn’t have the perspective to realize that good and bad come and we grow through each. I did not understand that everything changes and that most things in our lives are temporary. I believe I was 15 or 16 when I went to talk to my pastor about all of my teen angst. My pastor gave me good counsel and told me that I needed to “get over it” because these challenges that I complained about were simply temporary situations that would change. He was right. He gave me a new perspective.

Another gift is memory. There are so many treasures in my heart and mind. There are moments that are frozen in time. I’ll never forget singing with my sisters in church. The day that my brother stood up at 7pm in church on a Sunday night and gave the pastor the “Time out” sign because the pastor promised to be finished by 7. Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm with our Aunt and Uncle. Swimming in the Pacific with My Aunt Sally. I will always have the day that I first saw Mr. Gorgeous. How can I forget the day he asked me to be his bride? I remember the days our boys were born and the day our daughter became our daughter. These are treasures that are mine. I can see them in my mind’s eye and hear them in my head.

With age and experience comes the treasure of understanding the true value of things. When I taught 8th grade English, I would give each student three slips of paper and have them write down the three most precious treasures they had in their lives. Afterward I would tell them that a terrible thing happened and only one of their treasures survived. Then, I would ask them to choose the one that survived and to tear up the other two papers. It was a defining moment for many of them as we began to talk about treasures and perspectives. I was amazed time and time again as students chose “things” rather than relationships as their treasures. Learning the true value of things is something that does not come easily, nor does it come early in our lives. But when we learn it, we have found true wisdom.

While there are many others, the most important gift that comes with age is one that helps us to know and understand who we truly are. It comes from the most valuable of all relationships. It comes from knowing God and His Son, Jesus Christ. I know that not all people who are older have experienced a relationship with Jesus Christ, but those who have are wise beyond understanding; they have much to share.

Why is it that we judge people based on their age? Instead, we should learn from them and treasure their contribution to our lives. I’m not saying this because I have apparently entered into the ranks of the “older” folk; I am saying it because my life has been touched by amazing people who are older than me. We should be grateful – we should recognize the blessing they have provided in our lives. We should treasure their contribution and we should treasure them.