It often seems that when people get to a certain age, they will freely share their thoughts and opinions regardless of whether or not they are asked. Sometimes, people may chuckle at the outrageousness of the elderly person’s comment or cover their mouth in shock. Some who heard the comment may have rolled their eyes, become embarrassed, gotten angry, or perhaps totally dismissed what was spoken. However, most people act as if they think that the older person speaking their mind has somehow earned that right when they reached a certain age.
My parents have always been willing to patiently listen to me vent about things that aggravate me. For most of my life, I have been a quiet person. That does not mean I have nothing to say, but it means I have often found myself biting my tongue to keep from saying anything inappropriate or to prevent causing a confrontation.
I vividly remember a conversation I once had with my Dad before he passed. After relaying to him how frustrated I was concerning a certain situation, I asked my Dad this one question. “How old do I have to be before I can just speak my mind?”
My wise father immediately answered, “I don’t know, but you’re not there yet.”
We both laughed, and I felt much better at having had his listening ear to vent my feelings.
His answer to my question has stuck with me. After that conversation from many years ago, I can honestly say I now have no clue what I was venting about, but I just clearly remember asking him that question and receiving his reply. That statement actually served not just as an answer to my question, but as sage advice.
I am becoming more aware now of the reasons many will speak their mind as they get older. A lot of it is out of frustration. The older I get and the more life I experience, the more things around me change. I find myself often pondering how things are very different from the generation in which I was raised. Undoubtedly, each past generation has felt the same.
People’s morals have become less moral. Work ethics have turned into an attitude of unearned entitlement. Personal freedoms of religious choice and speech, although still laws of the land, often bring ridicule and attacks on the Christian trying to share the love of Christ. I have heard some unbelievers claim that Christians force their religion on others when we try to stand for Christ, yet we are expected to tolerantly listen to the hateful rhetoric that goes against all that living a Christian life stands for.
When we look at the world in the light of what we feel is a deterioration of our culture and country, it is easy to become upset, frustrated, worried, and yes, angry. When we are filled with all of those emotions, our fleshly mouth can take over before our mind can put on the brakes. But that, precisely, is the problem. We are looking at the world instead of the One Whom we received as Lord and Savior and Who imparted His life within us.
What the world does not understand (and sometimes we as believers in Christ need to be reminded) is that our thoughts are to be His thoughts. Our words are to be His Words. We are to be fully surrendered to and under the control of the Holy Spirit living inside of us. We are to live a life sharing with the world the Gospel of the birth, sacrificial death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. We are to offer the world the hope of an eternal life with Almighty God! We cannot be sharing His Word and complaining about how things are not as they used to be at the same time.
More and more as I get older, I hope my words are pointing people to Christ. He is our hope and salvation. He is our strength and peace in this troubling world. Reminiscing about the “good ole days” can be fun and possibly can be of value when suggesting a better way of doing some things, but looking forward to our eternal home can help us tolerate our fleeting afflictions.
I wish I could say all my words are words of encouragement, edification, and affirmation. I wish I could say I am always speaking of the hope that is within me and sharing my desire for others to possess this hope as well. I wish I could say my words are always completely directed by the Holy Spirit.
I am trying, but I’m not there yet.
10For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 11 For who among people knows the thoughts of a person except the spirit of the person that is in him? So also the thoughts of God no one knows, except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God. 13 We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. 14 But a natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But the one who is spiritual discerns all things, yet he himself is discerned by no one. 16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:10-16 NASB