Peace family, are you taking the time to really listen to and get to know your elders? We are usually a lot more aware of the loss of precious moments with children as they grow up, but we can miss out of moments with our elders, too!
My grandmother got sick in December, and she is getting better now, but she lives further north in an area that gets a lot of ice and snow. We’ve always lived pretty far from each other, but I got it into my head to call her about once a week, and what a blessing it has been! I have loved hearing both funny stories and meaningful stories from her life, plus, it’s interesting how many tastes we have in common! I asked new questions, and my grandmother shared stories with me that I had never heard before, about how she became a believer in Christ (I did not know before that her parents were not both believers when she was young), and also encouraging stories of ways God has showed his provision and given her courage in times of suffering.
No matter how much we love someone, they won’t be around forever, and we might not always have the chance to just spend undistracted time with them and listen. If you haven’t done so, today, why not ask your older loved ones how they became believers of Christ? They don’t have to be your relatives, but it’s very encouraging if they are. If you feel a little stuck in your walk, why not ask them to share times that they have really felt like God told them to do something specific, or encouraged or preserved them in times of deep suffering? If your loved ones don’t believe in God, why not talk to them about things that they enjoy, or even ask their advice about something simple? We all feel honored when someone takes time to listen to us, and values our opinion. Even if they are unpleasant people, we can always find something good about a person, and our kindness is reflective of our relationship with God, not of what a person may or may not deserve.
Peace family, you can learn something from everyone you meet, whether you learn to be more like them or less like them. You also might become a great encouragement to someone, or be encouraged, yourself! Let’s both take some time today to listen to our elders. I think we will be blessed!
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