Who Are Your Elders?

As I was watching the webcast of the WSL, a commercial came on for a new edit called “Convergence”. Watching the trailer, a tagline came over the speakers: “You just do what your elders do, gettin’ rad, gettin’ air, gettin’ speed, adrenaline’ ‘. How true. We each look up to and emulate our elders – age is not really the point, it is more a group of people that we see as having accomplished something we would like to achieve. It could be professional accomplishments, sporting, familial, educational, financial – the list goes on.

It reminded me of my own story, I embraced this idea and did what my surfing elders did. They were amazing surfers and I wanted to surf like them. So, I thought I should do what they do. The problem is not that I was emulating my elders, but that the people I chose to put in that role of elder, were living very much in the world. This meant spending most of my time out of the water on very self serving pursuits – chasing some sort of temporary satisfaction. The issue was not that I was emulating these people I looked up to, the problem was WHO I was looking up to. 

It is good and wise to look to those who have walked before you and to follow the example they have shown. But, be wary of WHO you choose to be your elders. Make sure that the elders that you are looking up to, have a purpose and are walking faithfully with the Lord. Be sure they are living the type of life, that you want to live.

Titus very clearly gives us the characteristics of an elder in the church. These are the same things we should be looking for, in those we look up to – “he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined, holding firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it” 

So who are your elders?

Image by: Kennt Braun