Old Dogs and Young Pups

By Alice Shaw

Boots, a collie-mix, was our farm dog for years. His credentials for faithful, canine service were impressive. His specialty was herd control. Forty cows wondered how he could be so quick—never missing a renegade! With a pat of praise, I wondered too.

The years and arthritis began to show as Boots’ speed and energy declined. It was time to train a new dog. I began working with two pups. These youngsters ran circles around Boots. Climbing hills and jumping wide ditches was not a problem for them. However, the fine points of herding cows were another matter entirely. The herd was moving, but not always in the right direction. I found myself becoming increasingly disgusted with the “unteachable” pups.

One morning the cows were going seven directions, but not one of them was headed toward the gate. The veteran Boots had been sunning his aching joints and observing the amateurs’ unsuccessful attempts. At last he rose to his feet. Stretching and then slowly making his way around the barnyard, he nipped a heel here and there and barked at appropriate bovine heads. It was amazing! The youngest dog began to take heed as Boots demonstrated the “how-to” perfected by his years of experience.

There’s nothing like a good teacher. Boots’ youthful energy was gone, but he had a wealth of experience!

As Christians, especially young ones, we should never overlook the important lessons we can learn from the veterans in God’s family. Though the generational span is wide, and our society quite different from the one they grew up in, the miles they have traveled may have included valleys and mountains much like the ones we face. Their experience and admonition may be just what we need. In our school days, in the work-a-day world, or even in our service to Christ, we don’t have time to waste when it comes to learning important spiritual lessons. And one of the best ways to learn is from an experienced teacher!

We should note the “seniors” in God’s family who have credentials gained through years of faithful service, and learn from their walk with God through the seasons of life. In Deuteronomy 32:7 we read, “Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will show thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee.”

Now . . . just how do we go about assimilating and applying the lessons that could come our way via the already-experienced? Start by reflecting upon your answers to these questions.

Have you said “Thank you” to those who have been an encouragement to you?

Have you thanked God for their lives and asked Him to help you profit from their example?

Do you listen carefully as they recount their experiences, and look for parallels to experiences you may be going through?

Have you ever opened up to a senior and then asked for prayer? (They’ve had experience in the prayer closet too.)

All of the “faithful” are not listed in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, or in the Book of Acts. The last letters of the Apostle Paul were to Timothy and Titus. Paul was led to give his final inspired instructions to these younger men, for the young churches. Note that Paul mentions in these letters the faithful example of godly living set by some of the older members of those early congregations. All of the “old faithfuls” didn’t pass off the scene with the ending of recorded Biblical history. Thank God, there are still some around.

Do you know some? What lessons have you learned from them?

Alice Shaw is a member of the Apostolic Faith Church in Richland Center, Wisconsin.