The glory of young men is their strength,
and the splendor of old men is gray hair. (Proverbs 20:29)
We crave a community where we’re understood, share similar values and interests. One of the easiest ways to find such a community is by looking for those people living a similar life as you. Take, for example, a young single person amid an ever-growing digital culture. That person understands the difficulties of balancing the pursuit of one’s career goals while maintaining a social life, and will want to be with others who feel that pressure. Couples with little children and no social life will gravitate toward other couples dealing with the same issues. We see this constantly. In the church, older men and women who have lots of wisdom will be in Bible studies with one another. The young, energetic people in the church will naturally have an easier time fellowshipping with each other.
That’s a natural part of being human and finding commonality. But there might be a better way. Proverbs 20:29 says, “The glory of young men is their strength, and the splendor of old men is gray hair.” What does Solomon mean? He is saying that young people and old people may gravitate toward people like them, but that makes them less effective. The beauty in those differences is what the young and old can do together. Imagine a young person’s strength combined with the wisdom and knowledge of an old person. Solomon had that in mind.
Both the young and old need one another. When Jesus saved us, he created a diverse body that is meant to rely on one another. We aren’t a monolith for a good reason. We need the young and old to be together, relying on and strengthening one another. To use an analogy: The young person might swing an ax with more ferocity and strength than an older person. He could get a lot done on his own. But the older person who can’t swing as hard or get as much done on his own might have the perspective to tell the young man to take a minute to sharpen his ax.
Here’s a summary of Proverbs 20:29: Young and Old people, you’re better together.