Wisdom Versus Age and Experience

"Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come..." (Ecclesiastes 12:1)

At the age of seventeen, I encountered a man in his late forties on the streets of Wanganui, New Zealand, who said to me, "You wait until you are my age and you’ll see things differently." Being young and full of hope for the future, I was amazed someone could be so full of negativity and cynicism. He had obviously experienced some bitter twists and turns on his path through life and reckoned he had "seen it all."

There are many like him who are so experienced in hurt and pain that they don’t believe things can be any different. They allow their past experiences to limit their future. The Bible cautions us, "Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, 'I have no pleasure in them.'" (Ecclesiastes 12:1)

The older someone gets, and the more "difficult days" they experience, the more cynical they can become. Who is more experienced about marriage – someone who has been married and divorced five times, or someone who has been married once and still going strong after twenty-five years?

Experience is not always a positive. If your experience is contrary to the Word of God, it can be a severe limitation, so never bring the level of your belief down to the level of your experience.

The reality is that experience won’t build your life – but wisdom will. Don’t allow your outlook on life to be clouded or limited by your experience; nor allow age to prevent you from building a great life. The Bible tells how Jesus Christ was twelve years old when He sat in the Temple in Jerusalem, surrounded by the religious leaders and teachers of the day. It says , "And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers." (Luke 2:47)

His wisdom couldn’t be credited to age or experience yet Jesus amazed them with His understanding. No matter what your age or experience, choose to build your life according to the principles of God.