Honor Your Elders

Do you cherish the folks in your life who are older? Quite honestly, I enjoy being the old man of our organization, Rivers of the World (ROW). My young staff gets a lot of enjoyment out of making fun of me. I know they really care about me, even when they refer to me as the “old man” or tease me by saying, “Oh, he probably can’t do that anymore.” They get a big kick out finding out just how much I can still do, even at my age!

Today, I want to cherish a friend of mine who is older than I am, Lt. Gen. Sam Wilson (Ret). I am sure you have heard me speak about Sam from Virginia. He was part of the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), popularly known as Merrill’s Marauders, in the China-Burma-lndia Theater during World War II. He is what we call the gray beard—one of the men who really led the way for our country through so many years. In fact, he served under 10 different American presidents.

My friend Sam is just getting over a little heart surgery and they are finding that his heart is as strong as an ox, just like he is. Nonetheless, Sam, get well my friend. Do you have older friends or family whom you are in contact with regularly? Let me encourage you to cherish them for their vast wisdom, which comes from their life’s experiences. Spend time listening to them today and above all else, don’t ever forget to show them respect.

I bet you didn’t realize that God even tells us we are to respect our elders. It’s true! Look at Leviticus 19:32 (NKJV):

“‘You shall rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God: I am the LORD.’”

Category: Friends