Off and on over the last year, there has been one question on my mind: What does it mean to honor your elders? Or your parents?
Well aware this is a loaded question, as it needs to be looked at carefully from every side. The question continues to weave itself through my thoughts quite often.
I was raised in a small church where everyone knew each other. My parents taught us that we were to acknowledge those in church with a hug or a hand shake. We made conversation with those around us, both before and after church.
It was considered respecting or honoring our elders. So when this verse crossed my path one day last week, it grabbed my attention:
“Stand up in the presence of the elderly, and show respect for the aged. Fear your God. I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 19:32, NLT)
The verse reminded me of the way our parents taught us to respect our elders, in church, our neighbors, and in stores.
As I myself grow older, I am more aware than ever before that our society, and churches, have an aging crisis on our hands.
Do we even fully understand what it is to honor or respect our elders? I am not sure we do.
As I watch the lives of those older than myself, I realize it is no easy feat to age and finish strong. Aging requires the need for more assistance, which means sacrifice on the part of those who offer assistance.
While food shopping the last few weeks, I have been asked to give assistance to several older shoppers. They ask questions, or need help in getting or finding an item.
In nursing homes, residents long for visits or simply conversation. A smile or human contact goes a long way to fuel hope and worth.
My commentary offers this insight on the above verse from Leviticus:
“Respect for the elderly is essential for maintaining a decent society, so failure to respect and care for the aged indicates that a given culture is about to collapse.”
(from The New American Commentary, Vol. 3A, page 263)
It then shares this verse:
“People will oppress each other – man against man, neighbor against neighbor. Young people will insult their elders, and vulgar people will sneer at the honorable.” (Isaiah 3:5, NLT)
Let’s look at the word “culture” as it gets thrown around quite a bit, and is a common catch phrase.
Culture can be defined as “the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization” (from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary).
Culture is not only what is seen in a society but also in our churches, our schools, and our very own families.
If we are going to take care of the elderly and honor the aged, we will need to break out of being so self-focused and selfish. We will need to learn what it is to sacrifice for the good of others. To think of others before we think of ourselves.
May we show respect and honor the aged.
It not only pleases God, it is critical to us all,
for one day – we each will be the aged.
“When you give honor, you actually reveal the honor within you.”
(author unknown)
In sharing my thoughts on the aging crisis, I was reminded of the post shared last week by Pam Ecrement. Her wisdom is always uplifting: “In my life there is One who knows the path, is the Expert. He can carry me from the beginning to the end and I can trust that.” You can read her full post, “What Bertha Taught Me” HERE.
Come, sit a spell. Bring your coffee, your posts, and your thoughts. If you link up, kindly visit those who have drawn up a seat around you.
Image by Sabine van Erp from Pixabay
Ageism is sadly a huge problem in our western society Joanne.
And you’re right we all age.
Blessings, Jennifer
There has been a sad decline of respect in general over the years, but I think especially for the elderly. I’m thankful for God’s perspective in the Bible to honor and aid them.
I agree, Barbara. May we be faithful to not only honor the elderly but also to teach the next generation to do so.
Joanne, you mentioned giving time to those older than us, and I think that is a key to honoring them. Whether in person, on the phone, or via cards and texts, engaging with them gives them value, honor, and respect.
It is amazing how they regard engagement as a gift. And we surely can do that in various ways.
I love Pam’s work. She is such a deep blessing and a wise guide in our lives!
Yes, she is. And I feel the same way regarding you, Linda 🙂
Good morning, Joanne! First – I hope you don’t mind that we link up our “Grand” posts here. I know that our content is more “frivolous” than others so please let me know if we don’t fit your criteria. With that said, I do love stopping by and learning and reflecting with your readers and today is no different. The topic of ageism has been on my heart for quite some time. Of course, as I age myself, I think about it but, more importantly, I, too, was raised to respect elders and I am so grateful for many of these relationships and the ways in which they have shaped my faith and life. My own parents are gone now but what I wouldn’t give to hear a few more words of wisdom from them. It’s sad to see so many of these people dismissed in today’s society – people who have contributed so much over the years. Our society does lose some of our humanity when we forget to honor our elders and their contributions to our world.
Laura, please do not stop sharing your posts. As a grandparent, I have so enjoyed your posts. They are not frivolous, and even if they were, we need a little fun in our lives each day. So feel free to link up! Secondly, I always appreciate that you reflect and share your thoughts on the topic I post each week. All that to say, I am grateful you are a part of this community! Blessings to you today!
Awww! Thank you! I do enjoy this community so much and what I learn here!
I have been blessed by so many older Christians, and I want to model my own aging process after their courage and faithfulness.
Michele, you are a model for both young and old. May the Lord continue to give you strength and courage!
Our society misses much when it dismisses the wisdom that comes from living. I’ve loved the older people in my life. Sadly, last year I lost the last one from the generation above me in my own family. Recently, I had a situation I thought I wish I had someone from that generation to call. I am now part of the older generation in many places I’m a part of. It’s quite shocking how fast that happened!
Debbie, I agree with you. The wisdom and experience we gain from older people is a priceless gift. And yes, we do get there rather quickly! Happy Birthday, friend!
Joanne, such a good topic for our times. I was raised much like you and have always honored the elderly. I believe the bible has much to say about the topic, from the very times of the Patriarchs even through the church age we find God’s directive to honor the aged. Sadly, our society has no time for the elderly and misses the great wisdom and precious life experience they have for us.
The more I converse with my own parents, and an older aunt, the more I am realizing how the memories they share are precious. I love that you mention the Patriarchs as the OT is so filled with not only family life, but even family dysfunction which we can learn from.
“When you give honor, you actually reveal the honor within you.”
(author unknown)
What a great quote to remind me that my actions reveal what is inside of me! Thank you, Joanne, for addressing this very important topic.
Our Sunday sermon was on being an intergenerational church, which we are, and we’re so grateful for our youth. But we were challenged not to be a multigenerational church – that’s a church that contains many generations, but they remain separated. We were asked to stand when our generation was announced. We have 5 generations represented in our church.
Isn’t that great?!
Thank you for reminding us to honor our elders.
Lisa, thank you for sharing the distinction between intergenerational and multigenerational. That is powerful and I want to remember that. I love that you had five generations represented at your church! May each generation realize the blessing they are to one another!
I was raised in the South wher we called all of our elders, Bro. or Sis. I’ve always been in smaller churches and we treated each other like family.
I do want to model treating my elders with respect and I hope my kids have picked up on that. They have so much to share. I regret I didn’t ask a lot of my relatives as much as I should have about family history! We should cherish our older people while we still have them with us.
Jerralea, I have my own regrets at some of the things I did not ask older relatives. One of the most delightful and insightful conversations I experienced last week was when I visited my husband’s aunt in a nursing home. She is there due to dementia but with in asking just one question, it unleashed memories and conversation I would not have wanted to miss. May we be faithful to model and hope our children will follow suit. Blessings!
Joanne, I am so thankful for the older people God has placed in my life over the years. I have benefited greatly from their wisdom and experience, so it makes my heart ache to see how society so often disregards the aged. I appreciate your heart for honoring our older relatives, neighbors and fellow shoppers. This is such a good reminder: “A smile or human contact goes a long way to fuel hope and worth.” 🙂