HELLO HEART PARTNERS!!! I truly hope your summer is going well (if you live here in the US,) but if you are one of my beloved friends around the world…my hope is the same… that your days are going well, prayerfully filled with JOY and lots of LOVE! A topic of “age” or “vintage” has been on my heart for quite some time…so I have been doing a lot of soul searching and studying as I BELEIVE I am not the only one who has danced with this heart issue ! If you have not come across this issue as of yet, read on as you may be able to help someone who is struggling!
For many years I have known people of younger ages to struggle with being LOOKED DOWN UPON, and not LISTENED too or RESPECTED! For me, these are the easiest to encourage as our younger folks are growing, learning, and transforming daily! They have new and fresh ideas to integrate, and are generally quite eager to share and try NEW THINGS! I love ECCLESIASTES 12:1 “So remember your CREATOR in the days of your youth…” Reminding young folks about YAHUAH’S plan for their lives, and therefore they should be VALUED, and always encouraged to put their TRUST in YAHUAH not man! Another favorite is PROVERBS 20:29 “The glory of young men is their strength…”
My most favorite bit of knowledge from YAHUAH is that HE used YOUNG people throughout HIS word, and of course history too! So many men and women in the Bible were YOUNG when they were called to exemplify who YAHUAH is! I encourage you to read about them if you are a younger individual and are feeling like you are being “LOOKED DOWN UPON, and not given opportunities!” Esther and Joseph are two of my favorites as their choices were tough, and their outward circumstances would have been considered very DIFFICULT, but still they followed YAHUAH!
Life can become really tricky, and this is why we do need the VOICE of a SAGE, the HEART that has endured, and the HOPE from a life that has followed YAHUAH into one’s more senior years! But, although the older VINTAGE can be a gift to our YOUTH, I am discovering some great sadness in older adults being treated unkindly! So, it was time for me to revisit the word of YAHUAH around this grave discrepancy of treatment and find HIS HOPE for my pre-golden friends! PSALM 92:12-15 is of great encouragement, “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of YAHUAH shall flourish in the courts of our ELOHIYM. They shall still bring forth fruit in OLD AGE, they shall be fat and flourishing; To show that YAHUAH is upright; he is my ROCK, and there is no unrighteousness in HIM!”
So, now some of you might think…HMM who desires to be “fat,” well wait a minute because the word actually refers to ABUNDANCE, and PROSPERITY! See, it is crucial to study HIS WORD so each of us can RECEIVE from HIM exactly the message needed in our current situation! This is just one of the gifts we receive as we age, which is the GIFT OF TIME! For years, I practiced making “TIME MY FRIEND,” especially working with children and their beautiful families…but NOW it’s just my BEST FRIEND! Whether it’s waiting for my ROSES to bloom after the winter, or for the BABY DEER to be birthed in early summer, or just for a simple coffee date with a friend…TIME is worth its weight in gold!
Just some images to help you think about WAITING, and letting time become your BEST FRIEND!! Remember one does not have to be “older” to learn how to ENJOY the processes of YAHUAH…but it helps if you have encouragement along the way!
ONE major thing I am learning in my season of life is that NOBODY should ever be DISMISSED, sidelined, or spoken down too based on their AGE or STAGE in life!! WORDS REALLY MATTER! Having more time to be in our community, I see, hear, and feel the sadness of folks experiencing it! I watched a young person’s face drop to total sadness as they were spoken down too for an idea shared…and I saw a “GOLDEN” be torn down with words, for not being able to check her phone for accuracy of an appointment…and there is so much more!!!
I BELEIVE this is a time in my life where I can “PAY ATTENTION,” and bring the healing balm of a KIND WORD of UNDERSTANDING in many situations, as I now EXPERIENCE them too! I can be a beacon of hope and love when needed, or simply help to bring clarity to a situation! How about YOU?? Can you take your experiences YOUNG or OLDER, and use them for HIS KINGDOM? Can you bring relief to someone in tears, after they have been shamed with words for NOT KNOWING SOMETHING? Here’s the TRUTH…I KNOW we all can if we stay OTHER’S CENTERED and listen to HOLY SPIRIT…for guidance!
Remember, we do not simply exist for OURSELVES…that’s a bit selfish…but we will be so blessed by YAHUAH when we put other’s NEEDS before our own, and fight for each other!
I pray each of you are ENCOURAGED on some level today…YOU are deeply LOVED, and treasured by our FATHER…and me too! I am praying for each of you, and TRUSTING HIM for your life…my beloved youngers, and olders!
SHALOM,
DanaKae
