This morning I was reading my scriptures and one of them caught my eye…
“Young people, in a similar way, place yourselves under the authority of spiritual leaders.” {1 Peter 5:5, GOD’S WORD}
Then when I read this in Joyce Meyer’s devotional, I figured I had stumbled across today’s theme…
“He who turns away his ear from hearing the law [of God and man], even his prayer is an abomination, hateful and revolting [to God].” {Proverbs 28:9…emphasis mine}
{Yikes!}
“Today’s verse says a startling thing about our prayers when we are not properly related to authority or if we are rebellious – that we are revolting to God. We simply cannot grow up or mature without correction. Being rebellious is something we need to be diligent to eliminate from our attitudes and behaviors! Why? Because if we refuse to submit to earthly authority, then we will not submit to God’s authority. …one of the lessons God taught me is that we are not ready to be in authority until we know how to come under authority.” {Hearing From God Each Morning…emphasis mine}
{Double yikes!}
So often it is said that young people bring energy and vitality to a situation. Which is usually true. However, I believe that idea has also created a bit of a monster in some ways because it seems as though we feel that energy and vitality is all that needs to be brought to the table…leaving out wisdom, accountability, stability, and balance sometimes. Things that ‘older’ people have. {Or should have.}
Over my 40-young years, I have found that the most balanced people have older and wiser spiritual mentors speaking into their lives on a regular basis. And that’s not to say that these ‘older and wiser’ mentors are always perfect or have never made a mistake, but they have lived longer {duh} and, whether or not we want to admit it {in-our-youthful-belief-that-we-are-totally-awesome}, they have experience and wisdom in areas in which we simply…have.no.clue.
And maybe that’s why this scripture caught my eye. It was a reminder that I need balance spoken into my life on a consistent basis.
- I need wisdom to smooth out my rough edges.
- I need stability to settle me when I’m rushing back-and-forth trying to accomplish everything I’ve determined is so important.
- I need accountability to make me aware that my actions aren’t always lining-up with what I say.
- And I need to remember that energy doesn’t always mean brilliance. {Wha…?!} And how do I know this? Well, allow me to explain.
A few years ago we adopted a Weimaraner dog named Jake. The breeders told us that Weimaraners were perfect for families because they were so good with kids. What they failed to inform us about was, Jake had the energy levels of…oh, say…the Tasmanian devil. {Just remembering Jake almost wears me out! 
}
- When I didn’t let him in to watch NickJr with the kids, he ate the door frame. {Yes, you read that right.}
- When our kids went to school and weren’t able to play with him as much during the day, he ate their wooden swing-set in half. {And, yes, you read that right also.}
Lesson being: energy doesn’t always mean brilliance.
So when I make a conscious effort each day/week/month to attach to wisdom and experience by submitting myself consistently to someone who is older and more spiritually mature, I allow my life to grow in a more balanced way.
And, shocking as it may seem, I don’t know everything. {I know. You may need to sit down after that confession.} Thing is, the older I get, the more I realize I have zero clue about a lot of stuff. {Although the ‘youth’ in me tries to convince my brain just to pretend otherwise.} Which is why it is so vital to bring elders into my life.
But not just any elders. {I mean, let’s not be stupid here.}
I’m talking about wise elders. People who actually live what they ‘say’ they believe. People whose lives are examples to follow {not ones to avoid}. People whose lives reflect the success of their core values. People who mean what they say. If they tell you something, you can count on them to fulfill it.
- They’re not just complainers who won’t discipline themselves to make changes in their lives when change is necessary.
- They’re not depressing people who look like they haven’t had joy in their lives for at least 30 years.
- They’re not lazy.
- They’re not undependable.
- They’re not two-faced.
- They don’t have sinful stuff hidden in the corners of their lives.
- They don’t pretend to live one way but actually live another.
They are…
Dependable.
Trustworthy.
Faithful.
Compassionate.
Supportive.
Encouraging.
Godly.
And they may not always…
- agree with what you say.
- make you feel warm-and-fuzzy.
- float along with whatever scheme you might have come across.
- drink your ‘koolaid’.
Which would be good things. Because, whether you like it or not, having your views challenged, your thoughts examined, and your actions weighed sometimes is healthy. Because not everything you say or do is fool-proof. {Hard to believe, huh?} Not everything you think or act on is 100% all the time, every time. Sometimes a little shift is all that’s needed to make something good becoming something better.
And that’s what I believe Peter was talking about. ‘Young people, make a conscious effort to consistently place yourself under the watchful eye of a trusted, wise, balanced spiritual leader in order for you to mature properly.’
Personally…
I’d rather be balanced…than always right. {Yeah, it’s okay to be wrong sometimes.}
I’d rather be trustworthy…than in charge. {I don’t always have to lead.}
I’d rather be accountable…than free to do what I want. {Free-falling without a parachute doesn’t always work out so well.}
So just in case my younger generation is ready to click over to a more hip-and-happening blog post, don’t worry – I’m not putting down energy, vitality, progress, or advancement. They are all necessary for growth.
As is…wisdom, balance, stability, and experience.
Trust me, you need them all in your life.
And I know this because I haven’t come this far without them.
Because while energy is great…balanced maturity is greater.
{Image courtesy of Flickr}
