Valuing Childhood & Old Age
This morning I was reading from the Old Testament book of Zechariah and I ran across this passage:
This is what the Lord says: “I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain.” This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with cane in hand because of his age. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.” (Zechariah 8:3-5)
I find it interesting that the return of God’s glory to the city of Jerusalem is accompanied by a reference to old people sitting in the streets and boys and girls playing in the streets. Here are a few observations related to these verses:
1) We live in a culture that undervalues elderly people and also encourages children to grow old before their time. Those over 60 are often dismissed as irrelevant while a 7 year-old who acts like a 16 year-old is deemed “cute.” God’s words to Zechariah seem to point people back to the reality of the seasons of life; there is an appropriate demeanor of life during each phase. Children need to know how to play; elderly people need to seek God’s help in growing old gracefully so they can interact with the children in the streets, even if they use a cane to get around.
2) The church is often quick to separate people into life stages. I think this is a big mistake. Children need to know the wisdom, strength, grace, and spiritual maturity of the elderly. Older people need to be around young children, partly because seeing children helps the elderly reminisce about their younger years, and, sometimes, memories are what keep older people going.
For all you young people out there, what is your attitude toward the elderly?
For you older folks, how do you treat the emerging generations?