Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Youth and age
Alison Litherland, From a letter…
The world has not yet challenged either of you too much. I want you to know that age has nothing to do with growing old, but with growing wise, growing strong, growing more into the image of Christ, growing more into a man of love and mercy.
When we are young, we have yet to suffer for Christ and win our real certificates, our real degrees and diplomas, not from any school, but from our Teacher, our only Master, Jesus the King of kings of kings. It blesses me to know you and love you, young brother and son, and I will be alive even longer and be there as you also grow not older, but wiser, kinder, more merciful, more noble and illustrious.
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4 comments:
I am at an age when I will not be earning any more diplomas: and that used to be a goal of mine. Even at my age, if I had the time and if I lived near a university, I would go back to school and get a diploma...in something. Thanks for this post, because now I can look forward to a certificate in wisdom and mercy from The Teacher. That fits in with my lifestyle and, I hope, my ultimate destination.
I've wanted to 'go back to school' since I was 24, but something always got in the way, worthy somethings, like being there for my boys when they were growing up, like working long hours to keep the family resources ahead of demands. I wanted to be a college history or linguistics professor, or even just a high school teacher, so that I could feel like a left a legacy, something to prove I existed, that my life had meant something to someone.
Well, it didn't take long for reality to sink in. 'Your legacy is in your boys, they're the books you didn't write, they're what you contributed to society... and to them as well.' Once I realised that, it didn't matter to me anymore if I ever went 'back to school'.
Besides, I was never really good in school. Yes, I got good grades, but only because I knew how to produce the results my teachers wanted out of me, but for myself, I really only learned what I wanted to learn, and what I taught myself. Even in college I didn't major in English because I couldn't make myself do all the required reading. I only wanted to read what had meaning for me. Selfish, to be sure. And I guess, I haven't changed.
But I found that life itself is the best school, and like I wrote in that letter, the only diploma that really matters will be to hear the words, 'well done, good and faithful servant.'
Man tends to become wiser when he gets older, and this wisdom is not contingent on the number of college degrees he possesses, but rather on the knowledge that Christ's teachings have conveyed to him.
Indeed, the older man becomes, the more he becomes attached to the values inspired by Christ.
Wisdom is far better than mere knowledge and degrees. There are many informed, degreed fools. Sometimes I'm one of them. By God's grace, I'm not always one of them.
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