Tribal Elders

The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.                                                           II Timothy 2:2

I was speaking with a client recently and he mentioned that now in his late-sixties, he is struggling with continuing to be relevant. He had been in an influential career years ago, and now that he is semi-retired, he feels a bit lost, irrelevant, and is generally casting about for meaning in his life.

I shared with him a quote from my old pastor, Mike Slaughter who, when he turned 60, said that he saw himself as a “tribal elder”. I really liked that idea. The truth is, when we reach a certain age, we find that we have wisdom to share. Certainly, we have less physical ability, less stamina, perhaps diminishing senses of hearing, sight, etc., but we do have the wisdom of experience.

We may now have more perspective, more tolerance, more charity toward those who have not seen the blessings we have seen. It is our job now, as tribal elders, to impart that wisdom to a generation that desperately needs it.

Prayer: Lord, help us to share wisdom with grace and charity, Amen.