questioning the old

"Then these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. But the anger of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram burned; against Job his anger burned because he justified himself before God. And his anger burned against his three friends because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job. Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were years older than he. And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men his anger burned.
So Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite spoke out and said, 'I am young in years and you are old; Therefore I was shy and afraid to tell you what I think. I thought age should speak, And increased years should teach wisdom. But it is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding. The abundant {in years} may not be wise, Nor may elders understand justice.'"
------Job 32:1-9 (NASB)

so my girlfriend brought up an interesting point tonight, and it's something that i've always recognized, but never really considered. age and experience comes in handy in life, and it always is a valuable trait to obtain, but nowhere is it stated that these qualities are a necessity for knowledge. i value the experience and knowledge of people that are in charge (of me as well as in general), but i'm starting to become weary of being ignored because of my youth and "inexperience".
i'm not bitter about this, and i am not in any way pointing fingers at anybody in specific. i am just... suddenly enlightened, for lack of a better term.
i know that God has a plan for my life, and i also know that He has given me certain gifts, two of those, i believe, are understanding and knowledge. i don't say this to brag or boast in any way; it's just what i believe. again, i'm just becoming weary and a bit upset for being looked down upon because i don't have "life experience" or because "i haven't been there yet".
you know, God has given me the gift of understanding, and this comes into play with the subject at hand. i understand why i am overlooked, and i respect the opinions of those doing the overlooking. but at the same time, there's something inside of me that just wants to scream out, "hey! listen to what i have to say!!! just because i'm young doesn't mean i don't have a brain!"
there's been a few things that have been done recently that have been done against my... better judgement (again, for lack of a better term). i was upset at the time, because i know deep down in my heart that those decisions were most likeley the wrong ones made, all because i was ignored because of my youth.
the youth of this nation (high school to college age) have so much to offer the older generation, yet they are constantly ignored for no reason other than the stubborn-ness and narrow minded-ness of that older generation.
people... if you are young, don't give up.

"Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe."
------1 Timothy 4:12 (NASB)

if you are older, than i encourage you, take in account and consideration the thoughts of the youthful generation. listen to what we have to say... you may actually learn something. God uses people, other than the older crowd, to convey His will and His words.
the sooner this is recognized and embraced by everyone, the better off i think we'll be.

later.
matt