When my pastors approached me about teaching women’s Sunday school, I was intimidated. I love teaching the Bible, but the majority of women who attend the class are at least 40 years older than me—and 40 times godlier. What could I offer these women who’ve faithfully followed Jesus for longer than I’ve been alive?
But my pastors and future coteacher were persistent. So I got a teacher’s guide and began preparing to teach the wise women of Grace Baptist Church. It turns out, teaching that class was one of the best things I could’ve done as a young adult.
Five Lessons and Counting
We tend to gravitate toward people similar to us in age and life stage. We sense they’ll understand us and know what we’re going through. When we seek guidance from older people, we’re inclined to ask people just a little older—a life stage or two ahead of us—thinking they can give us practical advice. And that’s a worthwhile pursuit.
But I’ve also found immense value in friendships with women far removed from my current life season. They bring different perspectives I wouldn’t have considered otherwise. Their years have given them abundant wisdom. Through them, I’ve learned lessons my peers couldn’t give me—and I keep learning every Sunday.
1. We never stop learning from God’s Word.
Some of the ladies in the class have been following Jesus for more than double my lifetime. They know the Bible back to front, yet they’re still curious and eager to learn more. The questions they pose and the insights they share both challenge me and cause me to love God and the Scriptures more. I pray that like my sisters, I’ll never stop craving a deeper knowledge of and love for the Lord.
2. We can always serve, no matter our season or limitations.
Many of the ladies have expressed sadness over their inability to serve the church like they used to. The physical ailments that accompany aging have limited what they can do, yet they faithfully embrace how they can serve now.
I’ve learned lessons my peers couldn’t give me—and I keep learning every Sunday.
Many regularly drive others to doctor’s appointments. Some send cards to those struggling through difficult seasons. Others call shut-ins and talk with them for as long as they want to talk. Several are known for faithfully praying for our church members. One of my friends from the class often texts me to say she’s praying for my husband and me. It always encourages me and makes me want to be as faithful in prayer as she is (Rom. 12:12).
3. We grow in hope as we persevere in suffering.
A lady in the class recently shared that after a health scare, she has become much more conscious that heaven could be as near as her next breath. Tears welled in her eyes as she told us how ready she is to be with Jesus. As she spoke, excitement to be with Jesus rose in us as well.
In their lifetimes, these women have witnessed the brutality of wars, the evil of racism, the devastation of illnesses, and the deaths of loved ones. They know something of grief and the catastrophic effects of the fall. But they’re not without hope. They press forward with certainty that one day, God “will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Rev. 21:4). These precious sisters who’ve endured so much encourage me to keep pressing on toward the better home waiting for us.
4. We have a family in the body of Christ.
When I joined the class, I’d recently moved from my home in Tennessee to North Carolina. Rebuilding the support network of loved ones I’d left behind was challenging, and I doubted I’d ever make connections like the ones I had in Tennessee. But these ladies took me in and treated me like an old friend. Their kindness was a healing balm to my homesick heart.
We belong to different generations. We haven’t lived through the same experiences. Our hobbies and interests vary, but Jesus unites us.
5. We can be effective in the kingdom to old age and gray hairs.
Earlier this week, I noticed a couple of gray hairs on my head, seemingly out of place for my season of life. But rather than distressing me, they reminded me of Psalm 71:17–18: “O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.”
God has adorned my older sisters with beautiful crowns of silver hair that symbolize a lifetime of God’s faithfulness and the wisdom they’ve accumulated. As I accumulate silver hair myself, rather than lament the aging process, I pray it’ll remind me of God’s faithfulness throughout my life and motivate me to obediently proclaim his might to the next generation as these women have done to me.
Find an Older Friend
I share what I’m learning from these precious ladies not just to encourage you with their wisdom but to urge you to find older friends of your own. You could develop these relationships by attending a Sunday school class or small group where you can be around older Christians. You might consider volunteering in a senior adult ministry or caring for shut-in church members by making phone calls or visits.
Our hobbies and interests vary, but Jesus unites us.
As the Lord grows your relationships with older believers, consider asking if they’d be interested in reading the Bible together and talking through what the Lord is teaching you. Perhaps you could discuss your pastor’s recent sermon or read a Christian book together. Pray with and for one another and enjoy being in each other’s lives (1 Thess. 2:8). Society and culture may have changed through the decades, but the gospel hasn’t. It’s a powerful unifier that enables friendships across generations.