No One Is Useless if He Has a Friend

Will you still feel useful in your old age? Before dealing with that question, I want to ask you another one. It's not original with me. In fact, I don't even remember where I first heard this idea, perhaps 20 years ago. Nevertheless, it's a good question for every Christian to ask from time to time: Do you have a Paul, a Timothy, and a Barnabas?

Every Christian needs a Paul. We all need a coach, a mentor, someone older and wiser in the faith who can say, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1). We need someone to look up to, a spiritual parent and advisor who's already walked farther down the path of discipleship.

Next, every Christian needs a Timothy. We all need to develop others who are younger in the faith. Older believers must take what we have learned and entrust it to reliable colleagues "who will also be qualified to teach others" (2 Timothy 2:2).

And then, every Christian needs someone like Barnabas who "was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith" (Acts 11:24). We all need friends who are neither too far ahead nor too far behind us in the journey. They are simply encouragers, coworkers, fellow travelers.

These relationships change with the passing of time.

The older you get, the more others tend to look at you as a Paul whether you realize it or not. Lots of potential Timothies are looking for role models if you're willing to take them under your wing. That's why the role of grandparent has never been more important than it is today. That's why older Christians need to be "temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance" (Titus 2:2).

The older you get, the harder it is to find someone to be your Paul. Over the years, my own level of responsibility has increased. Meanwhile, some of the leaders I've admired—and from whom I have drawn strength—have died, retired, or simply slipped out of the public eye.

If it hasn't already happened to you, get ready. One of these days you will wake up to the startling discovery that you are a member of the older generation and the mantle of leadership now rests on your shoulders. I don't remember growing older than the leaders I held in awe as a youngster, but somehow it happened. I'm now older than my doctor and my dentist, older than the news anchors and professional athletes I watch on TV, older than the majority of preachers and school teachers and police officers. It's harder to find a Paul.

One more observation: The older you get, the more you value your Barnabases. Yes, we must shoulder the load of leadership and be Pauls to the generation following us; but along the way, we also need to cultivate our relationships with mutual encouragers who will walk with us on the journey.

Robert Louis Stevenson wrote, "So long as we love we serve; so long as we are loved by others, I would almost say that we are indispensable; and no man is useless while he has a friend."

Jesus said, "You are my friends if you do what I command" (John 15:14), and his two greatest commands boil down to loving God and loving your neighbors. Focus on those great goals, and you'll be useful at any age.