“5 In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility towards one another, because,

‘God opposes the proud
    but shows favour to the humble.’ NIV

 

I remember hearing about a young man who said, ‘When I was 18, I didn’t think my father knew very much, but now that I’m in my 20’s I’m amazed how much he’s learned in the last few years!!’

It is often a characteristic of younger people to think they know better than the older generation.

When my dad talked about how he remembered me in my teenage years, he would paint me as quite a radical, summing up the story by saying that I wanted to throw out the TV! Whether I did have that ambition I can’t remember, but like most teenagers, I did have strong opinions – especially about what it meant to be a fully committed Christian. I didn’t have any time for what I perceived as lukewarmness.

We have to recognise that younger people may know better than the older generation in some areas, and we need the humility that will listen to their opinions and insights; we should open ourselves up to the stab of their probing questions. It’s important to note that Peter goes on to say:

‘’All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another…’’

 The church is a family in which we all need to listen to one another and learn from each other – young and old alike.

PRAYER: Lord God, whatever our age, may we be blessed with the humility that listens to and learns from the other’s viewpoint.