Let No One Despise Your Youth!
Hey everyone,
Welcome back to Character in Crisis! Last week we talked about becoming a man. This week we’re going to take that idea a step further and see how another young man in the Bible faced a similar set of circumstances. But first, let's find out what happens to Hugh and the villagers.
Hugh has become a great example of manliness. He has come a long way since his earlier years of childish selfishness. We’ve seen how his determination to see what needs to be done, and doing it, has stirred a whole village to action. When the duke’s taxes grew oppressive, and all seemed lost, Hugh lived out the words of I Corinthians 16:13-14:
Watch ye, stand firm in the faith, quit ye like men, be strong. Let everything you do be done in love.
The result? Hugh’s act of courage inspired those around him to take action. Hugh and his villagers traveled many weary miles to the castle. Now, as they stand in the courtyard, looking very out of place in their ragged clothes and worn-out shoes, they prepare themselves to appear before the king. Hugh and Dame Martha quietly discuss what he is going to say.
Then, the black moment. In story form, this is the moment when the character faces the ultimate test—where a bad situation somehow gets worse. This is displayed when Denton shows up on the scene with the startling news that the duke himself is present in court. Fear threatens to creep in as their difficulties increase.
“A wrong is a wrong,” Hugh says, frankly.
“But the duke is the king’s friend!” Dame Martha gasps.
“And we are the king’s people. I will plead this case.”
Hugh’s words brim with a firm but quiet resolve. Yet I think it’s important to emphasize that this is not merely an unexpected burst of courage in the midst of a trial, rather, it is the culmination of all the lessons Hugh has learned throughout his time in the village. This is his defining moment. This is how he finds the strength he needs to respond, by speaking the truth, in love. His qualities of leadership, initiative, and humility have been refined through the furnace of suffering and now shine brightly in the midst of external difficulties.
“You came to us such a useless little boy,” remarks Denton. “You had never touched an axe, cleaned a plate, or milked a goat. Now you are one who leads and others follow.”
Hugh is brought back to the past at Denton’s words. In humility, he recognized the lessons of responsibility and hard work that he had learned from his friend and Dame Martha. But he did not fail to see that none of this would have been possible if the Lord had not humbled him from the start of the journey.
As I consider Hugh’s journey, I am reminded of another young man named Timothy. In 1st Timothy 4:12-16 we read:
Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the teaching. Continue in them, for in doing this you will deliver both yourself and those who hear you.
Within this little section is a beautiful frame that highlights our sole purpose in this life. A purpose that Hugh lives out well in this chapter of Sir Malcolm and the Missing Prince. Let’s dive in!
In the above verses are two mirrored ideas that highlight a central truth. Let’s start on the outside of the frame, in verses 1 and 16. Paul urges Timothy to be an example to the believers. This same idea is highlighted at the end with the phrase that your progress may be evident to all.
How is Timothy to be an example to the believers? Let's take a step inside the frame and find out! In verse 12, Timothy is encouraged to be an example in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. He is to give attention to reading, to exhortation to doctrine. At the end of verse 15, the same idea is reiterated with Paul urging Timothy to give himself entirely to them.
What is in the very center of this passage? Neglect not the gift that is in you. You might think of it this way: when Timothy cultivates the gift that has been given him through his words, conduct, love, spirit, faith, and purity it blesses others.
Each of us have been given a certain gifting by God. You may have the gift of serving others, of giving, building, teaching, or, in Hugh’s case, leading! If you’re trying to figure out what your gifting is, imagine a skill that you have a natural bent towards. This may be an area in which the Lord has gifted you.
It is now your exciting responsibility to take this gift to the next level! In these verses, Paul gives Timothy seven practical steps that are essential for cultivating the gift he has been entrusted with:
Give attention (apply oneself) to reading, to exhortation, to teaching.
Do not neglect the gift that is in you.
Meditate on these things.
Give yourself entirely to them.
Show your progress.
Take heed to yourself and to the teaching.
Continue in them, and you and others will be delivered.
For Timothy, Hugh, and us, these seven steps are essential for successful leadership.
Once Hugh rejected his entitled lifestyle and no longer neglected his responsibilities, he was prepared to speak in court on behalf of an entire village. In fact, the people in his village have entrusted their livelihoods to him because they have seen his progress. And because he has continued in the truths that he has learned; he has the opportunity to deliver himself and others. What happens next?
All will be revealed in next week’s episode where we will stand in the presence of the king and discover the surprising conclusion to Hugh’s dilemma. You won’t want to miss it!
Till then,
Molly Mayo
Writer/Editor
(And long-term enthusiast of Sir Malcolm and the Missing Prince)
