For Every Yin There Is a Yang

No, I’m not becoming a Taoist. What I have discovered in life is that there are numerous tensions in every religious and philosophical debate. Tensions are built into our economy by God Himself and are given to maintain the system which they serve. Of course, man has the innate, fallen ability to complicate everything God makes through our simplistic lenses of life. Instead of seeing things out of a both/and lens, we prefer the neater package of either/or that has neater, clear-cut boundaries but is simply does not correspond with real life.

I’ve shared before some examples of tensions from the scripture that includes faith and works (James 1), God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility, God’s wrath and God’s love, God’s mercy and God’s judgment, God’s blessings and God’s curses, God’s abundance and God’s scarcity (Phil. 4), etc. Notice the intentional use of “and” instead of the usual “versus”. The either/or mindset says God has to be one or the other. A.W. Pink said that if we preach one side of the tension at the exclusion of the other side, it usually creates imbalance and threatens the health of that which we are trying to protect.

This applies to so many areas of life, but I want to narrow it down to generational differences. Being in my sixties, I am often in the presence of older people and hear about everything that is wrong with the younger generations. “They are self-focused. They don’t want to get involved. They don’t want to volunteer but want paid for everything.” I often say little but listen a lot, trying to navigate through various generational thoughts because I do not want to be guilty of my own line, “The persecutors of the new move of God are often the leaders of the past move of God.” They sincerely believe that because it genuinely worked for their generation, every generation should follow the same recipe. If you need an example, look no further than the Pharisees and Sadducees in the Bible. They were the gatekeepers of the Old Testament ceremonial laws but completely missed the incarnation of those laws in the person of Jesus Christ as manifested in the New Testament. Their generational bias caused them to miss the very thing they were looking for.

When I consider the yin and yang of generations, I appreciate the younger generation’s minimalistic attitude. Being a late Boomer myself—no, not late bloomer—my generation likes a bunch of stuff. I think it is safe to say that stuff was and is our idolatry. The younger generation understands that stuff requires maintenance which equates to a commitment of time, energy, and/or money. They choose to have fewer toys in order to have more time. Of course, the yang is if they have a breakdown, they are usually going to have to spend multiplied expense because they have neither the tools nor the knowledge to fix it like many of the boomers

Additionally, they are more motivated by those things that happen organically rather than organizationally whereas my generation sees the need and automatically starts doing something about it without asking, “Is this God’s will?” In other words, we assume the need is the call. Older ones would possibly say that waiting on the “organic” is simply an excuse to do nothing. Their yin is seeing the extra time, energy, and resources that an organization demands to live, especially, when there doesn’t see a pressing need for it. The yang? Try stopping HB2827 without a strong organizational structure that can bring people together quickly. It’s impossible. Then we are stuck with the legislative consequences for decades that will demand extra time, energy, and paperwork to please legislators who really don’t care about the paperwork in the first place, only the control.

While there are numerous other examples, the point is that generations need each other. The younger crowd needs the experience and wisdom that comes from their elders, and the older crowd needs to understand that culture shifts, so they need to see out of the eyes of those who are living in that shift and who also have the necessary energy to engage in the battle.

My context and goal for this article is to see the next generation come into homeschool leadership, and the established generation do everything possible to see that transition be successful. The ICHE board is constantly asking itself what can it do to better serve the next generation and pass on the vision of home discipleship with the centrality of Christ, understanding vision remains but methodology differs. I have observed numerous businesses and churches over the years that fell apart during this crucial time. There is too much at stake for us to fumble the ball in the present spiritual crisis in America. What is the best way to do this? Prayer!

Please join the ICHE prayer team as we focus on bringing up the next generation of homeschoolers into leadership of co-ops, support groups, state organizations, and their own families. While the type and endurance of fast is up to the individual, we usually take the second Tuesday of the month to pray together. Since there are numerous requests, perhaps take one request a day during your family’s devotional time, talk about it and then pray for it. While others look to organizational gurus for help, ICHE looks to God.

1. Pray that the older generation of leaders will have the genuine desire to see the next generation come into leadership and to do so successfully.
   1. As the Lord has been with my lord the king, even so may he be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.” –1 Kings 1:37
   2. And the Lord your God will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed, that you may possess it. And he will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers. –Deut. 30:5
   3. (Parents, you may want to share that you want your children to do even better than you did by building on your shoulders. This is an opportunity for parents to really encourage their children.)
2. Pray that the younger generation will have a burden to get under the yoke of leadership to serve their generation.
   1. The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. –1 Timothy 3:1
   2. And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” –1 Samuel 17:32
   3. (Parents, ask your children to define what leadership is and isn’t. It is not a privilege but a responsibility. Share with them some of the difficulties that arise but challenge them to step up to the plate through grace.)
3. Pray that there would be a sincere and symbiotic respect between the generations; the younger ones would respect the experience and wisdom of the elder and the elder would appreciate the fresh eyes and energy of the younger.
   1. The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair. –Proverbs 20:29
   2. “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord. –Lev. 19:32
   3. Pray that Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. –1 Timothy 4:12
   4. (Parents, ask your children what are some of the strengths of the elderly in leadership as well as the youth’s leadership.)
4. Pray that the next generation of homeschool leaders would truly and wholeheartedly embrace the vision of home discipleship with the focus on Christ before all else.
   1. And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. –Matthew 22:37
   2. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? –Mark 8:36
   3. (Parents, ask your children what they think are the priorities in your home. Why do they say that? Are these your true priorities?)
5. Pray that God would give each generation discernment in what to keep, what to adjust, and what to discard concerning methodology as we realize methodology matters and will set the organization or family on a certain trajectory.
   1. And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” –Matthew 13:52
   2. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, –Phil. 1:9
   3. (Parents, ask your children what things they want to keep doing from their upbringing and what things they may want to change. Remember, do not to be offended if they say something you do not like.)
6. Pray for a fresh group of homeschooling speakers to rise up who know how to communicate to the next generation but who also hold true to the values of Christ and the previous generation’s vision.
   1. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy.–1 Samuel 3:8
   2. And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. –1 Samuel 3:19
   3. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. –Matthew 7:15
   4. (Parents, ask your children what they look for in speakers—flow, delivery, content, doctrine, humor, etc.—and are these biblical and fruitful.
7. Pray that both old and young leaders will understand and embrace the concept of servant leadership as exemplified by Christ.
   1. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. –Luke 22:26
   2. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”–Mark 10:45
   3. (Parents, ask for examples of servant leaders. In what ways was Christ a servant-leader? Can they give an example from someone in their lives that exemplify a servant leader? In what ways have they been servant-leaders?)
8. Pray that the older generation will be filled with grace when transitioning to the next generation.
   1. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.” –Matthew 9:17
   2. Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. –Deut. 1:38
   3. (Parents, ask your children in what ways you could better encourage them in their walk with Christ as well as becoming a future leader in family, church, and community life.)
9. Pray that all generational leaders who call upon Christ will walk in humility.
   1. And when he was in distress, he entreated the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. –2 Chron. 33:12
   2. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. –James 4:10
   3. (Parents, ask your children why humility is so important in the kingdom of God.)
10. Pray that God would cause future leaders in homeschooling circles (and ICHE specifically) to begin to stand out. Pray that God would give the present leadership team wisdom with recognizing the who, how, and when of leadership.
    1. Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do … -1 Chron. 12:32
    2. And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, –1 Kings 4:29