Reverence and Awe

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live.  Titus 2:3a

Older women.  I am one!  And I am to have a kingdom impact on younger women. That only happens if I live reverently.  To be ‘reverent’ means that I live in awe of God and it shows in everything I do.  The problem is that the word reverent conjures up a picture of someone mostly quiet, hands folded, and removed from real life.  That’s not it at all.  

Jesus was fun.  Jesus was an engaging storyteller.  Jesus was provocative.  Jesus knew how to ask heart-stopping questions.  Jesus was magnetic.  People couldn’t stay away from him, whether seekers or critics.  He was anything but stuffy.  That should be me – if Jesus lives large in me.

One thing that prohibits chances for older women to influence younger women is the compartmentalizing that happens inside churches.  Similar age groups meet as a group.  There are senior adult Sunday school classes and senior adult fellowship times.  There are newly married classes, a place for young parents to interact, and singles form yet another fellowship.  Unless there are intentional mentoring programs, opportunities for different generations to meet together are absent. 

This world provides little direction and little hope for a better future.  Younger women have private fears about what kind of a life their children will have as adults.  They don’t know how to prepare them for what’s ahead.  Girls in high school and college are confused by societal chaos and ache for engagement and direction.  It is a gift when I give a younger woman Spirit-filled conversation.  How lifechanging when I learn their names, ask them questions, make note of their answers, and refer back to them the next time I see them.  They won’t expect me to remember their children’s names or ages.  They’ve learned to expect shallow conversations that are soon forgotten. 

If I live in awe of God, I am a safe refuge for a younger person.  They will feel the stability in my circle of Light.  They will find rest under my branches.  They will breathe deeply of the wisdom available to them.  Quite frankly, our connection will be lifesaving.  This is God’s plan. 

Younger women won’t be able to tell much unless I show interest and open the doors of engagement.  Light my path and let me live outside myself.  Amen