JESUS YOUTH | KAIROS GLOBAL | FEBRUARY 2022

Author: Dr Edward Edezhath

Learning to stand on the shoulders of elders

‘What, in your opinion, is the crisis of youth leadership today?’ A young man raised the question during a post-dinner open time. This was a weekend training for Jesus Youth student leaders from different universities. ‘Most of them never learn to “stand on the shoulders of the giants” as the saying goes. And thus, they either remain too small or start out big and then fall away.’ 

Immature overconfidence

One unforgettable instance of this was that of Peter. He attended a youth seminar, had a deep experience and was eager to reach out. After a couple of follow-up meetings he disappeared. Of course, he was ‘doing the work of the Lord’ on his own, while his less talented friends were regular in the group. I met Peter after a few years, in a very shallow spiritual condition. And I learned, he was completely lost in a world he was unprepared to make a difference in. The disconnect had taken a toll on him.

One problem a new Christian may face, after the precious gift of a Christ encounter, is running too early and too fast, immersed in action, forgetting to deepen and grow. Christian life is to be a walk of discipleship: sitting at the feet of Jesus and walking with faithful masters to learn from their example of following Jesus.

Someone humorously spoke about the growing trend of a ‘spiritual cottage industry’ of people eager to start groups and movements of their own. He was referring to leaders too eager to break away from groups to start on their own or build up independent initiatives. The tragedy is that if they are not organically linked to the parent groups and movements, these newborns will not share in the journey of maturity of their sources of inspiration. And failing to rise up in maturity, they either remain puny or very soon fall away.

Remaining tall and seeing far

The famous English scientist Isaac Newton famously said, ‘If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.’ Every great person builds upon the expertise of the experienced. An English poet elaborated it further, ‘The dwarf sees farther than the giant, when he has the giant's shoulder to mount on’. Thus, walking with experienced elders, sometimes you even outshine them.

Children like to sit on the shoulders of their elders and boast, ‘I am taller than all of you’. Also, in crowded places, kids sitting on others’ shoulders enjoy a clearer view. A journey of personal and community growth is somewhat similar. To see far and wide, you must climb on the shoulders of someone who is strong and ready to carry you. What is the secret of standing tall in your faith life? How do you get a vision that is clear and far reaching? Have solid persons and traditions to build your faith life on. In this way you build balanced and mature personal as well as community lives. 

Finding strong shoulders to stand on

One of the early formative Jesus Youth experiences was the yearly two to three week-long National summer camps we used to have at Bangalore. A good number of eminent spiritual leaders would be present throughout those camps. One of our animators, Alicekutty, used to insist that all young leaders never miss that rare opportunity to have a close walk with them. I believe that has been extremely important. A great tragedy of our times is that most people never come across giants – men and women of higher mental and spiritual capabilities. You grow up only by meeting grown up people!

A beautiful culture in the movement is the dynamics of helping youth be close to people of intellectual and spiritual stature. Most Jesus Youth groups and ministries continue to have interactions with significant elders, be that clergy, religious or other mature faithful. There is always encouragement in the movement to have an ‘eldering’ relationship with some significant senior person.

Apostle Paul when speaking of building strong communities mentions the importance of building ‘upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone’ (Ephesians 2:20). Having good leaders and developing intimate relationships and strong loyalty to them are also foundational to building a strong Christian community.

Helping youth to stand on shoulders

In Christus Vivit, Pope Francis urges youth to have this filial, yet mature relationship with significant others. ‘The word of God encourages us to remain close to the elderly, so that we can benefit from their experience . . . the long years they lived and all they have experienced in life should make us look to them with respect.’ (188) ‘This does not mean having to agree with everything adults say or approving all their actions. . . It is really a matter of being open to receiving wisdom passed down from generation to generation, a wisdom familiar with human weakness and not deserving to vanish before the novelties of consumer society and the market.’ (190)

How to help youth stand on the shoulders of elders? In a culture where freedom and independence become a priority, there is always a temptation to be on my own, forming ‘my group’, rather than building on the foundations already laid (1 Corinthians 3:11). So, it becomes important to have a counterculture and resultant dynamics in place. We need many mature elders for youth to connect; an ongoing encouragement to ensure continuity of relationship with them; an emphasis on humility and simplicity in the exercise of leadership; and also, a culture of communication that builds unity among leaders as well as in the wider community. Let us help our youth to stand on the shoulders of elders, so that tomorrow they too will lend their shoulders for others to stand on!