To the Class of 2020
by Gordon Walker
In 1964 (the same year I was born), Jack Weinberg was a graduate student at Cal-Berkeley when he famously told a San Francisco Chronicle reporter, “Never trust anyone over 30.”
There is good news for anyone born 1990 or later: Mr. Weinberg was already at least 50 by the time any of you joined the human race, so you are free to disregard anything he might have said for your entire lifetime.
Although I could spend a few paragraphs touting the wisdom of giving an ear to a whole host of men and women who have already eclipsed that alleged ceiling of trustworthiness, that is not the intent here.
Instead, I would like to point to two guys whose ages COMBINED were under 30. I enjoyed highlighting the lessons to be learned from both when I worked with students on Sunday mornings at the CUBE from 2008-2015. One was a teen, the other an eight-year-old.
We will start with the pup. His name was Josiah, and he took on a pretty big job at an early age, being anointed king of Judah when he was the same age as a second grader. There are so many encouraging things about Josiah’s life, and according to Scripture he didn’t waste any time moving in a direction of wisdom, although he didn’t exactly have the greatest examples to emulate.
As this strange summer heats up, I want to encourage you to take seriously the opportunities that our God has put in front of you, just as Josiah did. 2 Kings 22 tells us that Josiah “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord” and did so completely, not wavering in his commitment. In my estimation, this rock steadiness was set in motion when, as a “high schooler,” Josiah made the determination to begin to seriously seek God. 2 Chronicles 34:3 says that this course-setting decision came when Josiah was 16 years old. For some of you, if you choose the path to truly seek God and honor Him with your life, it will require a severance from a cycle that you have been surrounded with, perhaps with your circle of friends or even your family. Reading through the Kings and Chronicles, as we recently did as a church family, can be very depressing through much of the text. But then we run across the descriptions of men like Josiah or his fellow kiddie king, Joash (who took the throne at age seven) and read how they pursued God, we get refreshed. Josiah’s choice to honor God was quite a contrast from the lives of his royal ancestors. His grandfather Manasseh and his father Amnon were both evil, detestable kings, by anyone’s standards. The arrival of Josiah to the throne breathed fresh air into all of Judah. In like manner, over the years at Council Road when young men and women have chosen the path of pursuing Christ at full speed, it brings great refreshment to our entire church family.
The other pre-adult I wanted to mention was a godly stud by the name of Timothy. Although we don’t know for certain Timothy’s age when he began to follow God under Paul’s tutelage, it seems a safe bet that he was somewhere in his teen years. Scripture also hints that Timothy wasted no time in taking on a role of serious service for the cause of Christ. In II Timothy 2:5, Paul tells Timothy, “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” I was 16 when I made the decision to read through the New Testament for the first time. Even though I became a Christian at the age of eight, I believe that choice to read God’s word was my first real step (and a monumental one) to truly being a disciple. My prayer for you is that you will have a faith that is so sincere, other people will notice it and will be ready to help you grow in it as you seek the guidance of spiritual mentors. Timothy gained this from his mom and grandma, but there is no mention of his dad’s presence, at least as far as faith fostering goes. If there is someone who has been a no-show in your life, please don’t let that ever be an excuse to let your walk with God turn lukewarm. The Lord will provide spiritual nourishment for you from women and/or men as you will first seek Him.
There is a certain level of timidity for most students and young adults when it comes to stepping into roles of leadership and discipleship. You may have already sensed a call from God to move in such a direction of engagement with helping others draw closer to God. If you are feeling that nudge, share it with a believer who might be a little further down the road in his or her walk with God, whether it’s one of our pastors or one of your peers, or both. Paul provided this encouragement to Timothy, and it’s the best advice I could lend to a young adult ready to step it up and be about the Father’s business: “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” (1 Timothy 4:12). I can’t tell you how many times I have looked UP to younger men and women in our church.
If you choose to pursue God in the manner of Josiah and Timothy now, you will find yourself to be a trustworthy friend to your generation and perhaps other generations … well past the day you hit the age of 30.
Author Bio
Gordon Walker and his wife, Beverly, will celebrate their 31st anniversary on June 24. The Walkers serve as directors of the TBD Connection Class. They have been members at Council Road since 2008. During the week, they operate NightOWL Publications. They have three children: Brooks, (and wife, Dru), Memphis, Tenn.; Annie, Stillwater; and Clay, (1991-1997), Heaven.