Do you see this? This is a lot of money saved. Monday morning, Sara and I were getting ready for the day. She was brushing her teeth and I was getting Ben dressed, when the water abruptly turned off. I assumed the city was working on the line somewhere. It happens. We finished getting dressed, went downstairs, and had a city worker knock on my door. Scared the daylights out of Sara because no one just comes up to the house. Once I opened the door, he informed me that I had a leak and that I had to get it fixed by a plumber before the city would turn my water back on.
Did I mention that at 2 I had a job interview? Getting ready for the day meant wearing my good clothes. You know, what most people refer to as Sunday clothes. So, I first called the city of Laurel to make sure I didn't have to have a licensed plumber to do the repair. Check. Then, I got some old clothes on, one of Ben's blue sand pails with a pink shovel, and proceeded to the meter to discover where my leak was. Check.
The leak really wasn't that bad, so all in all the repair cost about $30. A while back, someone told me that a plumber's going rate was about $40 an hour. An hour? I could not have done that at all. There is someone I can thank for sharing with me how to fix things, and that is my father. Philip Leslie Anderson Sr. spent many hours teaching me how to hang sheetrock, paint walls, weld, build, plant, harvest, plumb, construct, and for that I am grateful.
There is a going trend for young people (20s and below) to ignore and even refute the wisdom and teachings of those older than them. It may not be intentional, but surely prideful. Stroll through Proverbs and you will see verses such as, "Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old." Also, "He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm."
I have been guilty of this myself. "Why are they telling me what to do? What right is it of theirs to give me advice? They are just old and dumb. Things are different now." The sad thing is, when I reflect back on the situation, they are right. Would we be ahead as a society if we took what the generation before knew and applied it? If we learned from their mistakes? If we learned from their successes? Israel never seemed to get this. Wandering for 40 years in the wilderness was a result of indiscretions made by the older generation. Did the younger generation learn? Nope. Not long after Joshua became leader, Achan stole things devoted to God.
Scripture speaks of listening to wisdom, of seeking wise counsel, and I feel that sometimes people the same age as me just cannot offer the wisdom of the ages. Sometimes, I need to go to someone older and wiser than me. Sometimes I need to push down my pride (because I graduated and went to college) and listen to those who have learned, not from a book, but from life. Those are the answers we seek, those are the questions we long to have answered.
So, find an older person, dad, mom, neighbor, grandpa, great aunt, uncle, professor, deacon, regular at the coffee shop, and sit down with them. You would be amazed at some of the places they have been, some of the things they have seen, and some of the wisdom they can impart.
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