Speak Up

Published: Aug. 16, 2021, 7 a.m.

b'People say that age is only a number. Well, as someone who recently turned 82 years old, I agree! Sometimes I walk past a mirror and think, \\u201cWho is that old guy?\\u201d Other mornings I wake up and my body reminds me just how many years I\\u2019ve been alive. American culture doesn\\u2019t always appreciate those of us with gray hair, but just because some of us are older and wiser than others doesn\\u2019t mean that God stops using us. He doesn\\u2019t say, \\u201cYou\\u2019re too old to do my work.\\u201d Never! In fact, the older we get, the greater responsibility we have to share God\\u2019s love and wisdom with the younger generations. Why is this our job? Well, because younger people listen to us. Many of you have grandchildren, like I do. I once read a study of 1,000 college kids from the top 100 universities in the country. They were asked how often they listen to the advice and information of those around them. They said they listened to their peers less than 30% of the time, and they listened to their parents about 60% of the time. Who did they listen to the most? Their grandparents! They listened to us 83% of the time. Our grandkids and our younger friends listen to us. In Jeremiah 15 God says that if we speak with a clean heart, we are God\\u2019s mouth (Jeremiah 15:19). So, speak up if you\\u2019re an older adult; speak God\\u2019s truth to those around you. The younger folks are listening. This is Luis Palau.'