And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. – Joel 2:28
Have you ever been denied something because of your age? Were you too old or were you too young? In a day and age where ageism is becoming more common, those of us who have experienced it knows how disheartening it can be.
Some people tell you that age shouldn’t matter but it does. The world doesn’t look at what you can do or what you know, it looks at how old or young you are. There are those who think that if you are old, you are not worth investing in. For others, young people are seen as lazy or not willing to learn. Everything is based on assumptions and not on who we are and what we can bring to the table.
For God, age doesn’t come into it. He looks at the skills, talents, and experiences we have, and He can use us not matter what age we are. Whether we have ten year or fifty years left on this earth, He doesn’t care. All God cares about is how we use the things He gave us to help further His kingdom and save the lost.
Age to some, is just a number and God knows that better than most. To Him, what matters more, is what you can handle. If you are in your seventies and you are capable of going out into the mission field, then God will send you just as would send someone in their twenties. Our life and usefulness doesn’t end when we reach a certain age or when we retire. If God can use you, He will.
In some cases, those who are old in years are still young in heart, so they shouldn’t be discounted just because of a number. Our perceptions of what someone can do at a certain age is governed by what the world thinks you should be doing. As Christians, we should be thinking of and seeing age in the same way as God does.
Even those people who have been victims of ageism because they have been told that they are too young, should remember that God doesn’t think that way. When the time is right, He will give you what He knows you can handle. To Him, even if you are only eighteen years old, if He knows you can preach, then He will open the doors for you to do so.
If you have ever discounted someone based on their age, then you should change your world view to God’s view. The Bible is full of people, God used at different ages. Some started when they were young, and others took years before they became what God wanted them to be. God chose the right people at the right time, and it didn’t matter how old or young they were.
Our concept of age shouldn’t hamper us in what we do or who we chose to do a certain job. Age should be irrelevant to us as it is to God. What should matter is how capable they are. After all, God knows that both young and old can prophesy, dream dreams, and see visions.
Originally published February 2019