Future Hope
“The people in the highest places of power today don’t care about their children.” This was said by someone I respect who pays close attention to the issues of our day. Being that most power is exercised politically today, I’m assuming these are the people about whom he was speaking.
The issue may not seem important but the way politicians fail to look to the future is, in my view, hugely implicated in what we are seeing now throughout our culture.
It’s evident in scripture that one of the greatest biblical motivators to build (or restore or reconstruct) is the desire for a promising future for the next generation. God made many promises to the Israelites that would not come to fruition until well after the generation He was speaking to had died (Abraham in Genesis 17:9; Moses regarding the Promised Land; His promise to David that Solomon would build the Temple in 2 Samuel 7:12-13, etc.). The people kept on working for the good of future generations.
I am a part of the “Boomer” generation and there are several things that have become evident that we would not have expected when we were young. Elected officials were publicly respected people and expected to be “ministers for good” (Romans 13:4). Much has been revealed to shed light on the fact that what we saw was not necessarily true of all of them but we had some confidence that they loved our country. That confidence is history.
We didn’t consider carrying a weapon unless we were deliberately going someplace known to be unsafe. Taxes were a pain but we didn’t worry about them being spent to promote evil. Now, we consider whether we need to be armed almost anywhere we go and if we could find a way out of paying taxes that wouldn’t remove us from our children and grandchildren, we’d be out because of what our tax dollars are supporting.
Over the last few weeks we have seen that the “elected officials” are agreeing to leave wicked people free to roam and create havoc while the righteous or law abiding citizens are being arrested and/or persecuted for their public stances that are not in agreement with the current administration.[i] Free speech would appear to be another loss.
Social media, the workplace (that can’t find people to work), the “healthcare” system, and public schools are all areas of life that have also been negatively affected by this disregard for future generations and the direction of our country.
But, there is still good news. We have hope! The greatest hope right now is for the next generation. They need to learn this hope from us and see what they can do to build for those who will follow them. There is plenty of work to be done and we need to help our kids and grandkids find joy in accomplishing work that brings something for others to share in and develop.
There are many people getting out of government-funded systems and taking their children out as well. These kids are being taught a different set of values. They are learning to question the “authorities” so they don’t blindly follow that lead to the demise of our nation or the mocking of God. They are being taught to restore rather than run to hide. They are learning to obey God rather than man and their parents are working hard to educate them either themselves or in a religious or private school.
I look back at our nation as my generation experienced it and can get discouraged. It has been a long, slow, downward spiral but the hope of the Lord is that, like the Israelites who heard the Lord’s warnings and repented of their wicked ways, we can too! His warnings (judgments) are all around us!
We must seriously invest in our own children and in their generation to teach them first the ways of the Lord (through the Word of the LORD) and then to teach them to work for the changes that need to come.
In my lifetime we (as a nation) have murdered 63 million babies in the womb, we have started to feel a “need” to conceal carry for safety, the government (including the schools) has become untrustworthy, and the “pandemic” has caused us to question even our doctors.
It’s time to build up the old waste places. We can call it restoration or reconstruction or reforming what has been ruined – but it’s time.
According to the Word of God, we are responsible for the education of our children. They must be important to us regardless of what others do. We must obey Him and work hard to encourage and teach the next generation. They are our hope for this nation and this world.
The Lord has left us with an even better hope for the next one.
[i] Two cases would be that of the Amish Farmer Amos Miller (https://www.thelancasterpatriot.com/miller-adds-barnes-to-legal-team/) and the sidewalk counselor at an abortion mill charged with (https://www.theblaze.com/news/prolife-activist-fbi-raid-abortion-clinic) who was exonerated of assault charges in a local court last year. He had several FBI agents at his home recently to arrest him with their guns drawn.