Irish poet Oscar Wilde said "experience is the one thing you can't get for nothing". Experience comes with living and living takes time. The longer I live, the more experience I will have and the more things I will experience. Not deep stuff...... It does remind me, though, to open my ears and listen to those who have experienced life more than me. Their experience may have come at a high cost, but is worth it if used to help others.
The Bible tells the older women to teach the younger women. As a younger woman (still), my job is to let the older women teach me and to learn from them. Some older women might not feel comfortable taking on a teaching role or may not be entirely sure how to teach the younger women. I, however, do know how to ask questions and listen to the answers. I do know how to ask an older woman to have coffee with me and listen instead of talking. I know how to learn by observing. If I want to learn from those who are more experienced and who can, without a doubt, teach me much, I can do my part in making it happen.
I have been in a couples' Sunday school class for the last year and a half and really love the laughs, the friendships with people my own age and the discussions relevant to our stage in life. However, after visiting a ladies' class last week, mostly made up of "older" women, I am finding myself yearning to spend more time in this class to soak up the wisdom gathered there. There have been a few women in my life who I have wanted to just sit at their feet and just ask and listen, listen, listen. When I discover a woman like this, I find myself trying to think of ways to be around them, questions I might ask them, and find myself watching them as much as I can.
I am still a young mother and need wisdom beyond my years. Motherhood is a tough gig. Life is tough. God has placed older, wiser, more experienced women in my life for a reason. They have been there with kids. They have struggled through the ups and downs of marriage. They have loved and lost. They have made mistakes. I might be saved from making the same mistakes if I will listen and learn from them.
Older women, please teach us! We yearn for your wisdom and counsel. Please don't ever, ever think you have nothing to teach. Your experience alone could save us heartache and grief. The life God has given you might save someone else's life if you will but share it. Young women, let's make it happen. Let's have open hearts and open ears to hear.
