“Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you.” — Deuteronomy 32:7
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Bob Corby thought he was done with speed skating. After competing for years himself and then coaching the sport for a stint, he had become a physiotherapist with his own practice and hung up the skates in the 1990s. But 20 years later, he received an unexpected phone call from a 14-year-old young man named Jordan Stolz with a request for him to return to coaching as his personal instructor. Corby was now in his 70s, so this request was no small consideration.
But the fact that this kid had done his research, knew Corby had been one of the best to ever do it, and was so passionate about getting to work, made the answer a pretty quick one. Corby said yes, and the rest has literally been history.
Stolz’s talent coupled with an incredible work ethic led him to three Olympic medals at the Milan Olympics, two of them gold. Corby says coaching the young man has been a dream, sometimes even leaving him in amazement at what Stolz is accomplishing. And the 22-year-old is not even close to being done yet!
I find this story extremely touching because, so often, generations ignore one another and find it hard to connect. The older ones can easily dismiss and stereotype the young ones with a typical “kids these days” remark, failing to see the value the youth of today bring to the table.
In the same way, young people can categorize the elderly and disregard the depth of wisdom they can offer — the perspective of having lived many years on this planet and gained much experience along the way. Things a young person is living through for the first time are already part of the story for an elder, giving them a unique ability to speak into that young person’s life.
Stolz saw the value in Corby’s experience as a former skater and coach, and refused to believe that his “outdated” style was irrelevant to the sport today. As a result, other skaters are now looking into some of Stolz’s “old school” methods and realizing the value of them.
God takes the concept of generations seriously. From His warning that sins in a family will be visited to the third and fourth generations (Exodus 34:7), to His command to “stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly” (Leviticus 19:32a), God wants to involve all of the generations in His plan.
His Kingdom is made up of all ages and experiences, and this is why it matters so much that we encourage our churches, teams, businesses, friendships and families to be built around the shared knowledge and wisdom of varying ages and experiences. The youth must see the importance of their elders and the elders must see the value of the youth. Together, this combination builds a force for good that is reflective of the community God has in mind.
So today, maybe call up your grandparent or an elderly friend. Or, if you’re older yourself, go have a young person teach you something new today. We all need each other and can learn from one another, if only we choose to.
— Katherine Singer
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