By Wes Wicks

So, what’s all the fuss about ageism?

No one anticipated that Tom Watson, at nearly 60 years of age, was young enough to be a serious contender in the Open Championship.  Perhaps no one but Tom Watson himself.

The world loves unlikely heroes. We can expect to see Tom Watson on the cover of dozens of magazines both inside and outside the sports arena.

In the end, the victorious 36-year-old Stewart Cink was at center stage, more in line with our definition of a likely hero.  But he was flanked by 16-year-old Italian amateur, Matteo Manassero, and the 59-year-old Watson.  Three generations together in the limelight, all demonstrating tremendous talent and poise in this major golf tournament.

What can we as Christians in our second half of life glean from these four days when the old guy remained at the top of the leader board after 72 holes?

So, what’s all the fuss about ageism if the whole world was rooting for the old guy?

With everyone rooting for the past champion, it may seem like ageism is not a true problem. But ageism often surfaces in our low expectations for people based on their age.  It’s not that we’re against or in direct combat with older adults or young whippersnappers.  We just don’t expect much from them and treat them as outsiders, off our radar.  We forget about their current value and under-estimate their potential.

Yes, we all celebrate when the young and old break age barriers.  But all too commonly, negative stereotypes based on age reinforce timidity and diminish opportunity, inside and outside the Church.  We are called to encourage the timid, not write them off.

God values every generation and calls us to the same.  It’s not just the older generations who get stuck with negative stereotypes.  It can happen to persons of all ages.  May we encourage those both inside and outside our peer group to pursue their godly potential!

Lessons from the links:

Here are a few free lessons for those young enough to serve, even those of you with little to no interest in the game of golf:

◦   Tom Watson stayed in the game. He didn’t let his age tell him to stop competing.

◦   He didn’t let others’ low expectations of him define his potential.  At the start of the competition his odds of winning were calculated at 1000 to 1.  But he felt fine and approached the event with confidence.  Even hip replacement surgery last October didn’t stop him.

◦   He kept preparing.  He knew that his past laurels would not be enough to carry him.  His practice rounds boosted his confidence.

◦   He remained realistic about his abilities.  In a post-event interview, he confessed that some competitions such as the Masters at Augusta were pretty much beyond his scope unless he played perfectly.

◦   He wasn’t content just playing “ceremonial” golf, simply showing up and being honored as a past champion.  He wanted to compete on the merits of his current abilities.

◦   He was attracted by the unique challenges of the course at Turnberry, knowing they were a great match for his experience, maturity, and skills.  His knowledge of the course and strategic game plan had the potential to keep him in serious contention.  It was the difficulty, not the ease, of the course and conditions that kept him in the game.

◦   His story brought special excitement to the game.  One commentator said that Watson’s near triumph made all of us feel about twenty years younger.

◦ Close counts.  Don’t believe the old adage that close only counts in horseshoes. Although Tom didn’t get his name engraved again on the Claret Jug, coming that close to winning was very significant and inspiring.

◦ Every generation of golf fans was rooting for Tom.  His potential victory was not viewed as a setback for younger generations.  It was unifying.

◦   In the end, golf is just a game.  But it can also be a great tool for relationship-builiding and for influence with your peers and younger generations.  Scripture is full of references to athletic competition, and the real value comes when we can carry these inspirations into our daily lives, our relationship with God and our relationship with others.

The Word is also full of unlikely heroes.  Many, if not most, of our heroes of the faith were under-estimated because of stereotypes based on their young age, old age, vocation, location, education, race, or even their circle of friends.  Jesus Himself, the stone that the builders rejected, became our Chief Cornerstone.

May stories like this go beyond inspiring us to get the clubs out of the attic.  Many other important victories await us in the second half of life!  We are not called to just watch unlikely heroes from the sidelines.  Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

With Christ’s help, let’s follow His calling through the final round. And let’s become unlikely heroes in our churches and communities.

 

Wes Wick is co-founder of the interdenominational ministry YES! Young Enough to Serve, helping churches and ministries commission adults over 50 to serve and make disciples. Based in Scotts Valley, CA, Wes and his wife, Judy, serve as Assemblies of God U.S. missionaries.