When Experience Becomes Influence

-- from David Bernard’s message to UPCI Sages Pre-Conference 2023

We’re at an interesting place in life. We’re old enough to have experience—and hopefully wisdom—but young enough in strength to still make a difference. That’s a good place to be. I will say, age doesn’t automatically bring wisdom. Some people live through many things without learning anything from them. But I believe this ministry can encourage us to reflect, to learn, and to become truly wise.

Even in something as simple as music, we see this tension between generations. I remember when I told a new music director years ago, “Make sure you sing at least one old song on Sunday mornings.” The next week he chose a five-year-old song! For me, that was still new. I had to explain, “Pick something from the hymnbook if you really want to call it an old song.” Music connects to our experiences. For us, songs from our youth or early walk with God feel like a native language to the soul. For young people, their songs do the same. One isn’t better than the other—it’s just different. That’s why we need both.

Songs carry stories. When I hear When I Walk the Streets of Gold, I remember my mom after she was persecuted in Korea, thrown out of church onto the street. She stood, dusted herself off, and rejoiced that she was counted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus—singing that very song. Those experiences make songs powerful in ways that younger people haven’t lived long enough to fully understand. But our role is to share those stories, to connect our experiences with their journey.

I recently took my family back to Korea, where I grew up from ages 8 to 17. It’s completely transformed now—our old house and church replaced by modern buildings. But showing my kids where we lived, worshiped, and walked gave them a window into my life they’d never had before. We laughed about my old “exaggerated” stories of walking uphill in the snow—until they saw the film footage proving I wasn’t exaggerating after all! That trip reminded me: experiences are investments. Money spent on shared memories is worth far more than money left behind.

At this stage of life, one of our greatest callings is to pass down wisdom and heritage. Every human being craves meaning and purpose. Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, wrote that those who survived the concentration camps were the ones who found meaning in suffering. The same is true for us: if we find purpose, we will thrive spiritually and even physically in our senior years.

That’s why our stories matter. My parents were first-generation Pentecostals, and they told me how God changed their lives. Those origin stories gave me the same appreciation as if I were a first-generation convert myself. If we don’t tell our stories, they will be lost forever. And those stories don’t have to be only about victories—they can also be about failures, opposition, and discouragement. Younger believers need to know that we faced challenges too, and that God was faithful through them all.

Our wisdom is not just in what we say but in the relationships we build. Quality time comes from quantity time. Sometimes the most important conversations happen unexpectedly, over a meal, or during a car ride. That’s when wisdom is best received—naturally, relationally, not forced.

We should also remember that investing in people isn’t limited to our biological families. Many young people lack stable homes or godly role models. We can be spiritual parents and grandparents to them. Something as simple as being available, approachable, and real can change someone’s life.

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 4:2: “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” At the end of the day, that is our calling. Not everyone is given the same talents, opportunities, or gifts. God doesn’t compare us to others—He only requires that we be faithful with what He has given. Faithfulness, not perfection, is the measure.

So let’s share our stories. Let’s invest in the next generation. Let’s remain faithful to God and to His calling on our lives. And above all, let’s pray. Even if there are things we will never accomplish ourselves, we can still shape the future through prayer. That is one thing we can always do.