Young Wisdom
How old do you have to be before you are wise?
Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite answered: "I am young in years, and you are aged; therefore I was timid and afraid to declare my opinion to you. I said, 'Let days speak, and many years teach wisdom.' But truly it is the spirit in a mortal, the breath of the Almighty, that makes for understanding. It is not the old that are wise, nor the aged that understand what is right. - Job 34:6-9
In today's reading from Job, the youngest one speaks, showing deference to the elders, explaining his silence as intimidation. He expected them to be wiser than he.
When I was young, I was a lot like Elijah. I kept silent when in the presence of elders. I assumed they were more knowledgeable because they had lived longer, experienced more and had more opportunities to learn more than I.
Inside, though, I often felt some were not as wise as I thought.
As I find myself becoming one of the oldest in the group, I need to remind myself that what Elihu said is true.
It is the Spirit within that helps wisdom flow from one's mouth.
I like to think I let him have the last word, if not the first, but I know there are times when I feel what I want to say overrules what the Spirit is whispering in my ear.
Why is that?
What makes us think we have a handle on the situation or that our perspective is true?
I think that like Job, we are hurting inside, even when we think we are not. There is something deep within us that needs to be hugged and comforted, reassured and made whole.
The Spirit fills that hole if we let Him. And it is the ability to tap into the wisdom and confidence of that Spirit that gives us the power to comfort and support others.
Elihu was in touch with the Spirit and it allowed him to see what the others couldn't.
That's a great message. God trusts us to speak for Him when we give our selves a rest and let the wisdom of the Spirit shine through.
This is the light of the world that Jesus talked about and we can be the candle.
More to come...