In our recent class, we spent three weeks on the question of wisdom. One could as well spend three months on the topic. Wisdom has been lost to many of us in recent generations.
Mainly, it has been lost through eliminating the relationship between older and younger people. We in America equate marriage with leaving home. Many of us leave home before being married but virtually all of us leave when we are married. Often, because of the ease of travel, we leave not only the physical home but even the area in which our elders live.
We tend to join churches where we are placed in "Young Married" classes, once again eliminating any role of older people. We tend to group together with others of the same age for social events. We tend to communicate with others of our age with modern technology that the older women do not know.
The result, of course, is that we have no one to look to for knowledge or wisdom. We talk to our friends about issues, but they have little to offer of wisdom, being as young as we are. We will not call and ask an older woman, because we don't know them well enough. Instead, we try to get along as best we can.
Imagine 100 years ago. You live in a small town or a section of a large town. You live at home until you marry, which is much younger than today. You marry and live in the same area. You see your mother and your aunts (older women) frequently and probably see your grandmother and great aunts as well.
Your church is smaller and has no "young married" class, so you go to classes with the other adults and your social life is based on the community (old and young) not on your age. You have close friends who are older women to whom you can turn for help and wisdom.
If you are a young wife, ask yourself how many older women you know well enough to seek advice. If you don't know many, find some. Pick someone and generate a friendship with them, or at least enough acquaintance to seek advice. Go to some events for older women.
I cannot tell you how often I have talked with older women in churches about this issue, and how often they tell us that the young women have no interest in hearing from them. It is a shame that we, in our churches, have helped create.
If all your friends are about your age, with about your experiences, and just about your problems, where will you go for wisdom?
Mainly, it has been lost through eliminating the relationship between older and younger people. We in America equate marriage with leaving home. Many of us leave home before being married but virtually all of us leave when we are married. Often, because of the ease of travel, we leave not only the physical home but even the area in which our elders live.
We tend to join churches where we are placed in "Young Married" classes, once again eliminating any role of older people. We tend to group together with others of the same age for social events. We tend to communicate with others of our age with modern technology that the older women do not know.
The result, of course, is that we have no one to look to for knowledge or wisdom. We talk to our friends about issues, but they have little to offer of wisdom, being as young as we are. We will not call and ask an older woman, because we don't know them well enough. Instead, we try to get along as best we can.
Imagine 100 years ago. You live in a small town or a section of a large town. You live at home until you marry, which is much younger than today. You marry and live in the same area. You see your mother and your aunts (older women) frequently and probably see your grandmother and great aunts as well.
Your church is smaller and has no "young married" class, so you go to classes with the other adults and your social life is based on the community (old and young) not on your age. You have close friends who are older women to whom you can turn for help and wisdom.
If you are a young wife, ask yourself how many older women you know well enough to seek advice. If you don't know many, find some. Pick someone and generate a friendship with them, or at least enough acquaintance to seek advice. Go to some events for older women.
I cannot tell you how often I have talked with older women in churches about this issue, and how often they tell us that the young women have no interest in hearing from them. It is a shame that we, in our churches, have helped create.
If all your friends are about your age, with about your experiences, and just about your problems, where will you go for wisdom?
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