How many times have we heard this phrase in America, “What do you want old man?” 

Have you noticed how American culture worships youth and throws away anyone over 30? We see this everywhere in music, TV, and in real life. If you have gray or no hair then people consider you as a drain on society.

Why do we do this? It is the exact opposite of what the Bible says about older people.

The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair. – Proverbs 20:29

The gray hair represents wisdom. Youth has strength and zeal but wisdom only comes from age.

Are you saying you can’t be wise at 25? Yes I am. You can be making right choices and be on your way to wisdom, but wisdom requires living through a multitude of decisions where you gained a multitude of experiences and learned what was right and wrong in them.

Definition of wisdom from Bing dictionary: good sense: the ability to make sensible decisions and judgments based on personal knowledge and experience

You can be a great person at 25, you can even be wise for your age, but you can only know so much. Let’s face it, at 25 you have only been a legal adult for 7 years. How much can you learn about life in 7 years? High school and college may make you educated, and that is even debatable, but it does not make you wise.

Youth are often arrogant. In their arrogance they are admitting they are not wise. Have you noticed that as you grow older and gain wisdom you become humbler? Your experiences teach you that arrogance is the playground of fools lacking real insight.

Where do young people go for advice in America? Usually someone young. On a national level we seek it in tabloids from the under 30 group of beautiful actors. The Bible says we get the best wisdom from grandfathers and grandmothers. Why do we value someone’s opinion on matters of great importance just because they look good and have won an Oscar? It’s frankly foolish.

The Bible places Elders as leaders over the church not youngers – yes I made the word up – for a reason.

When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them. – Acts 15:4

We are affected by our culture. Not all cultures are this way. Many of the asian countries are just the opposite of us and are better off for it.

Americans don’t like older people because they don’t have hair, their muscles are not as strong, and their skin is wrinkled. This is because we value external appearance as more important than internal values.

Who are some older people around you that you tolerate instead of mining for wisdom? Start talking to them instead of tolerating them. Slow your physical walk down so that it matches there and watch your mental walk speed up to theirs. You may be surprised as to what you discover. I know they will be when you ask.

Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord. Leviticus 19:32