Generational Gaps

I was recently talking to a friend about how most Intervarsity staff workers tend to be no more than five to seven years older than us. I will acknowledge that this age differential makes relating a quicker process, but I also realize that it makes it very difficult for me to look up to these people as older, wiser spiritual mentors. Thank God that many of these people came to know Christ in college and I am grateful for the sacrifices that have been made for the sake of college students. However, it makes me slightly uneasy when I think about how these people are thrust into fairly influential positions of leadership without having had that much time to grow in their faith.

I'm not saying that age is equivalent to maturity or that spiritual wisdom is correlated to years being a Christian (though that would be the hope, right?). There's no black and white line here, but I do think there its fair to say that those that have been in the faith longer, by the grace of God, develop a wiser understanding of life that can be imparted to the younger.

And from my own perspective, it's astounding how reluctant I am, at times, to share with my parents when it comes to spiritual issues. I don't know if this is because Chinese parents have placed so much emphasis on being well-behaved and good students that it is strange for me to think of them as spiritual mentors. Even with dating, I can't think of too many of my Chinese friends discussing relationship issues with their parents.

A friend of mine once bemoaned about Chinese parents' inadequacies when it came to relating with the younger generations. I think there's something to that though I am currently unsure of the extent of this. What I do realize is that I find myself yearning for to have older spiritual guidance (and I'm not even just talking about the pastor) that complements and directs the immediate relations that I have with peers. The church is a body consisting of all generations--the older directing the younger in the ways of the Lord and both pursuing the life of faithfulness.