Building relationships between the generations

Beckie Littler, 21st Mar 2018
Tags: Life Blog Family Friendship

Today I went to the senior's club that we have at our church. I was there to help bring some of the children from the local school nursery to the club, to do some crafts, play games and sing songs. I have done this before and usually you get a good laugh watching the interaction between some of the youngest and oldest members of society. 

Then something happened - I was watching these older women look at the smiling faces of the children and they smiled back! The joy of the children was infectious to the adults. It’s no wonder God loves children so much when even their smiles change the atmosphere of a room.

When I was younger I always used to look at elderly people walking down the street and I never thought about the life they had lived before they grew too old to do things. Some of them may have fought in the war, or had parents who did. Some worked down the pits in my city or have contributed to the rich history of Stoke-on-Trent through the pottery industry.

They will never be too old to get stuck into everything life throws at them.

Now that I am older though, I know that those people still contribute and they will never be too old to get stuck into everything life throws at them.

I have also seen their attitude towards me change. They no longer look at me as a potentially scary young person, but now they see me as a friend who they can have a natter and a brew with.

It always makes me smile when I see different generations doing things together because that’s how God wants it to be. He wants the world to be in unity and for families to be at the centre of that.

In reflecting on this I was reminded that Jesus chose people from all ages and all walks of life to be his followers, but to be more than that, to be the people he would share everything with. He told them when he was scared, and they saw him when he was angry. Peter was believed to be in his teens and Mary Jesus’ mother would have been no older than 15 when she was pregnant with him. 

The Bible says "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity." This has helped me when I have doubted myself, because this is God saying that not only are you valuable at the age you are now, but you are also going to set an example to those that follow you.

This is inspires me to be the best person I can be, because Jesus wants to be my friend and he has hand-picked me for my purpose. Nobody else can be me.

I love that when people go to church they are all welcomed whatever their age. There is no old people section or teenager's row. We join together as one family and it’s truly a beautiful thing and something you don't get to experience in many places.

I love that when people go to church they are all welcomed whatever their age. There is no old people section or teenager's row. We join together as one family and it’s truly a beautiful thing and something you don't get to experience in many places.