The Three Callings

I love words. The sounds, the rhythms, the patterns, the poetry and meaning they make. And I have to thank Eddie, an elder in my life, for giving me a love of the etymology of words. Maybe that’s why a particular couple of lines stood out for me. In the New Testament section of the Bible, St John, one of the few disciples of Jesus that weren’t martyred, but exiled, wrote a few letters to try to encourage and inspire the embattled Jesus followers in those persecuted days. He uses a particular poetic form of words which have always fascinated me.

            I speak to you youth….

            I speak to you adults….

            I speak to you elders….[1]

There is a rhythm to it, as well as a message to every generation, similar to Shakespeare in his memorable device in the Seven Ages of Man[2]. But as if to drive his message home St John repeats the same format again in the next sentence, altering the content just a little.

            I speak to you youth….

            I speak to you adults….

            I speak to you elders….[3]

Why these groups of people?

I think because they capture the whole life span and the ideal shape of the journey of our lives. Youth to adult to elder (not just older[4]).

Youth? - Who are you becoming? What purpose greater than yourself will your life serve? How will you shape the greatest determinant of your future – your heart and character?

Adults? - You have made the first half of life’s journey. Whew! But now it’s time to respond to the call to fulfil your life’s true calling by entering the dark, unknown woods of your own inner world to face your hidden wounds and renegotiate your ego identity.

Elders? - You have made the journey from youth through adulthood. You know where the bear traps are hidden. You have done much deep work on yourself, often through metabolising suffering and loss. You have turned all that hard won experience into wisdom, perspective and courage. You are ready to be a wise guide to the youth and adults in helping them navigate their own journeys.

While pondering on this the other evening as I walked across the stillness of the late summer fields, I realised that I have spent the past 20+ years addressing and exploring these very three stages.

For youth – creating Emerging Leaders, The Youth Compass Project and currently the Lost Boys project.

For adults – in books like Becoming Mandela, Thresholds, Doing The Right Thing and We Don’t Do God.

For Elders – in the book To Plant a Walnut Tree and A Tap on the Shoulder.

It never ends. The threads of youth-adult-elder don’t change and continue to call us towards healing, purpose and investing in others until our dying day.

Purpose, becoming, getting beyond our ego, metabolising our wounds, crystalising our experiences, silently recognising transcendence and living for and investing in something larger than ourselves.

Just like parenthood itself, it never ends.

[1] 1 John 2: 12-14

[2] As You Like It

[3] 1 John 2: 12-14

[4] A Tap On the Shoulder – How life calls you to get elder, not just older