When generations listen to each other, the wisdom can last a lifetime
By Dean Collins
Just yesterday I had a wonderful conversation with a young employee. I didn’t ask her birth date, but she is likely in what generations researcher and leadership speaker Tim Elmore refers to as Gen Z. I am a baby boomer, so we are about 40 years apart in age. Every time we have a conversation, we both walk away looking forward to the next conversation.
Tim Elmore was on campus the day before my most recent conversation with my young colleague. Dr. Elmore’s recent book, A New Kind of Diversity, discusses why and how each living generation must build bridges of communication and work together to help organizations and individuals thrive. I highly recommend his work to you!
Wisdom for the future
As I read Proverbs 19:20-21 this morning, I noticed something I hadn’t considered the many earlier times I had read this verse: Listening to advice and accepting instruction help you gain wisdom in the future. I am sure when we receive advice, we often benefit in the moment, but the wisdom doesn’t end there. Solomon is reminding us that when we continue to listen, seek advice, and accept instruction, we will continue to build a stronger foundation for significantly more wisdom in the years ahead.
We know from 2 Chronicles that Solomon asked God for wisdom and God answered his request. In the Proverbs, the Psalms, and in James we learn that we too can pray for and receive wisdom. But my experience, maybe my wisdom, suggests that our reservoir of wisdom is not instant but rather given to us over time.
Working his purposes
I watched my young colleague listen as we talked. She asked questions, she sought advice, she accepted instruction, and I could literally see her soak in information and process it relative to her own life and experiences. As we talked, we each shared experiences about what God is teaching us. She has a spirit much more vibrant than mine. I need her youth, mind, and tenacity to help me grow and to help our university grow. And she acknowledged she needs to hear from me and others of my generation who have been seeking advice and accepting instruction for decades.
In our 15-minute interaction, we both saw the bridge God was building in and through our unique experiences and time on earth through our individual spiritual journey with Christ and his Word.
Whatever your age and your position in work, in church, or in the community, I pray you will take to heart the wise king’s advice: Listen and accept instruction so you and I can continue to gain wisdom for the future. And whatever your age, don’t be afraid to share what God is teaching you. There is someone who needs to hear it and learn from it.
The last part of my conversation with my young friend was that God is working his purposes in our lives. We needn’t have it all figured out. We can trust him, serve him, listen and learn, and know that his purposes will be accomplished in us. And his purposes are always much better than the scripts we attempt to write on our own!
Your time with God’s Word
Proverbs 19:20-21 ESV
Photo by fauxels at pexels.com
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