WINNING WITH THE WORD
“Winning with the Word” is a weekly blog that will help you to be a winner in life by applying God’s principles for living the abundant life as found in the Bible, God’s manual for life.
AN INVITATION TO YOU: To follow this blog, click here.
If this blog has blessed you, please encourage your family and friends to subscribe as well. Thank you!
______________________________________
Do you prefer listening instead of reading? Then click below to listen to today’s blog post:
______________________________________________
Hello and Happy Day! This is Dr. MaryAnn Diorio, Novelist and Life Coach, welcoming you to another episode of Winning with the Word. Today is Monday, June 15, 2020. Today’s Podcast is Episode #24 in Series 2020 and is titled “The Dangers of Generation Separation.”
________________________________________________
When I was growing up in the fifties, the elderly sat on front porches surrounded by toddlers and teens. It was a common practice for groups of children to visit middle-aged and elderly neighbors to listen to tales of earlier days.
Back then, there were no such things as “senior citizens” or “adult communities.” Nursing homes were virtually non-existent, and grandparents often lived with their children and grandchildren. The grandparents gave the children time and wisdom, and the children gave the grandparents a sense of joy and lasting youth.
During the past half century, we’ve seen a dangerous phenomenon occur. I call it the “generation separation”–the deliberate attempt by our culture, and even our churches, to separate the elderly from the young and the young from the elderly. The result has been a tragic loss of wisdom for the young and respect for the elderly.
In the Biblical model, there is no separation of generations. All ages lived together, worked together, and played together. The generations were interdependent. This is God’s way, and it is His way for a reason.
Throughout the Scriptures, the older generation is commanded to instruct the younger generation in the ways of God, and the younger generation is commanded to learn from the older generation. This is not to say that the young cannot teach the old. I’ve learned more from children, especially my own, than from any other age group. It is to say, however, that the older generation has a mandate from God to teach the younger generation to know Him. How can this happen unless the generations interact?
Today, as people are living longer, it is not unusual to meet great-grandparents as well as grandparents. I personally know of some families that are blessed with five living generations. To separate the great-grandchildren from the great-grandparents would be to rob both of great blessings.
I propose, therefore, a return to the mingling of generations, for these reasons:
- It is God’s way of blessing all generations.
- It fosters respect for the elderly and wisdom for the young.
- It serves as a valuable link of understanding between the past and the future.
- It provides roots that, in turn, provide stability to families.
- It nurtures a sense of belonging and unity so essential for emotional and spiritual well-being.
If you are in a situation where you are separated from other generations, I encourage you to find a way to bridge that gap. If you have small children, bring them around the elderly. If you are among the elderly, spend time with children. Not only will you be greatly blessed, but you will be a venue of blessing to generations other than your own.
The most important thing you can do for your grandchildren is to teach them the truth about Jesus. But how can you teach them if you do not know Him yourself?
If you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, pray this simple prayer with me now:
Lord Jesus, I come to You, just as I am. I want to be a good grandparent to my grandchildren. I want to leave them the most important legacy I can leave them: a legacy of faith in You. So I ask You now to come into my life. I receive You as my Savior and my Lord. In Your Name I pray. Amen.
If you prayed this simple prayer, please write to me at drmaryann@maryanndiorio.com. I would like to send you a little booklet that will help you get started in your walk with Christ. I also encourage you to get yourself a Bible and read it every single day. The Bible is God’s love letter to you, His manual for your life. In the Bible, God reveals Who He is, and He instructs you how to live.
Finally, ask the Lord to lead you to the church of His choice for you where you can learn about Him and have fellowship and encouragement with other Christ-Followers.
For those of you who may not know, I write fiction about many of the issues I deal with in this blog and podcast. My latest novel, In Black and White, recently won First Place in Historical Fiction in the 2020 Christian Indie Book Awards Contest. It is the page-turning, compelling love story between a white woman and a black man as they face the wrath of family and society in order to preserve their love. This book was written for such a time as this, in which we are facing very serious issues of racism and hatred in our society. To discover the only real answer to racism, get your copy of IN BLACK AND WHITE now at Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Kobo, or other vendors of your choice. If you are reading this blog post, you can also purchase IN BLACK AND WHITE at the link below or on my website at maryanndiorio.com. Just click the bookstore tab at the top of the page.
You will also find additional resources on living the abundant life in Jesus Christ on my website at maryanndiorio.com.
If you have been blessed by these messages, I encourage you to share them with others. I also invite you to become a Winning with the Word patron on Patreon. As a patron you will enjoy special benefits only for my patrons. Just go to Patreon.com and search for Winning with the Word to join. I would like to thank all of my patrons who are making this podcast possible. It is now reaching 23 countries throughout the world with the message of the Gospel. I could not do this without you.
Thank you so much for listening. This is Dr. MaryAnn Diorio, novelist and life coach, reminding you that God loves you just as you are and just where you are, and that He will help you to keep on Winning with the Word.
To subscribe to “Winning with the Word”, click here.
To receive my monthly newsletter, click here.
Listen to the podcast here:
Now it’s your turn: “What are you doing to leave a legacy to your grandchildren?” Please leave your comment in the Comment Box below. Thank you!
PLEASE TWEET: “The Dangers of Generation Separation” by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio (CLICK TO TWEET)
Please tell your family and friends about “Winning with the Word,” and please pass this post on to them. Thank you!
Check out these three popular Winning with the Word podcasts below. You may also search for a particular topic in the search box at the top of the sidebar on this page.
__How to Deal with the “New Normal”
__What to Do When Your Child Goes Astray
__Is the World Coming to an End?
Are you new to this blog? If so, what is the “Winning with the Word” blog and why will it bless you to read it?
“Winning with the Word” is a weekly blog that helps you to deal with the daily problems of life by using the Bible as your guide to solving them. The Word of God will make you a success in life!
AN INVITATION TO YOU: To subscribe to Winning with the Word, click here.
_____________________________________________________________
Copyright 2000-2020 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved. This article may not be published or printed in any form whatsoever without the written permission of Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. You may contact her at info@maryanndiorio.com to request permission.
Amazon.com Required Disclosure: MaryAnn Diorio is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn