“Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

–Exodus 20:12

This month and next, as our culture celebrates Mothers Day and Fathers Day, God’s people can make the occasions much more substantive than just greeting cards, gifts, and dinners for a few select relatives.

Instead, we can lift up the knowledge, wisdom and perspective that we possess from not only the mother and father figures in our own circles, but all the older men and women who have enriched our communities with their lives and experiences.

The wisdom of the past has helped people of every age to navigate the challenges of their times. Many communities in the world honor, respect, and value as “elders” their oldest members. It’s something we surely can use now. Ours is a time of unprecedented change – both in the sweep of change and in the speed at which things are changing.

Our older members can give us perspective and patience and wisdom. Here are some ideas:

• Engage elders about issues facing you, your congregation and community. Listen deeply. Take notes.
• Enter into their thought world: How do they frame issues? What are their underlying assumptions? What sources help inform and inspire them?
• Compare their approaches to seeing the world and navigating challenges with your own. What is helpful? What can assist you?

Learning from our elder mother and father figures may be the best way to not only honor them, but also help us find our own way in life.

—Rob Blezard

Copyright © 2021, Rev. Robert Blezard. Reprinted by permission. Pastor Blezard serves as pastor of St.
Paul Lutheran Church, Aberdeen, Maryland, and works as content editor for www.stewardshipoflife.org.
He blogs at www.thestewardshipguy.com.