Age, Knowledge and Wisdom

Age, Knowledge and Wisdom

Recently, I listened to a minister began teaching by admitting he has not achieved perfection.  He said, “I am on the road to progress along with you and all others who desire success in this area of life.”  His humility allows anyone listening to learn from him.  If perfection were a prerequisite for preaching and teaching, no one would do so.  It is reasonable to receive wise instruction from anyone who teaches and preaches with integrity and humility.  As it relates to spiritual learning, a prevalent falsity, correlating age with spirituality maturity, prevails.  It does not stand to reason that life experience necessarily makes anyone wise or knowledgeable.  Because knowledge and wisdom are two of life’s greatest treasures, one must work diligently for them.  There is no direct connection between age and spiritual development.

Wisdom is “knowledge applied to appropriate circumstances.” Two familiar proverbs support this definition.  “Don’t kill a gnat with a sledgehammer.”  Also, “Discretion is the better part of valor.”  There are different dimensions to knowledge: theoretical, academic research (pejoratively characterized as “book learning”), relational and life experience.  Our knowledge of God requires all of these elements.  Wisdom necessitates one possesses knowledge including all four major dimensions.  Accordingly, wisdom would not be the sole possession of those who are advanced in age.

All generations can possess a certain level of wisdom.  Children, youth, young adults, older adults and seniors can learn from each other.  The information age, in which knowledge completely changes every five years, gives younger generations an advantage over their seniors.  Additionally, social complexity of drugs, alcoholism, teen pregnancy, rap music, hip-hop culture and teen suicide gives “Generations X and Y” and “Millennials” life experiences older adults and seniors cannot appreciate.  As human nature does not change over the course of history, older adults and seniors can share experiential knowledge and wisdom with younger generations.  They can assist them in resolving their contemporary challenges; thereby the learning curve bends in both directions.

Genuine humility enables us to learn from anyone.  The story of Balaam’s donkey in Numbers 22:21-40 illustrates the point.  A pagan prophet receives instruction and wisdom from the jackass he is riding.  Imagine being so dense and pridefully ignorant the Lord utilizes a jackass to tell you the truth.  If we continually confuse the years of our earthly pilgrimage with divine wisdom, that level of humiliation will be our fate. 

Summarily, I encourage gracious consideration and compassionate understanding for all persons, regardless of their age or life experiences, who demonstrate faithfulness, willingness and integrity in the spiritual growth process.