the generations to come

February 27, 2003

seems like i've been noticing a lot while walking around york campus.

i was walking to class today and something caught hold of my attention. after a snowfall, the grassy areas become covered with lots of deep snow. there's normally shortcuts that people will take to avoid walking in a square (we all know a straight line is the shortest distance), and these shortcuts are still taken DESPITE the amount of snow on the ground.

i've always wondered about that, i mean, how many people does it take to create a pathway in the snow? the first person that walks through it has to walk through some THICK snow and get their boots all wet, along with their pants, socks. for the second person that walks, it might not be as bad because there's some footprints to step into at least. and so this pattern continues until a person like me, many many times later, can walk quite easily on the snow, as the path's been well developped by that point of time. i've never really given this whole deal much thought until today. or maybe i have, and just haven't noticed?

regardless, this imagery reminded me of a few things:

1) missionaries in foreign countries that are martyrs for their faith. they might have sowed seeds all their lives and have never seen any harvesting. generations of missionaries might go into a foreign country with the Gospel and never see any results. they never get to see the fruit of all their work that they invested. but eventually at some point, the hard work, the prayers will be finally answered and one generation will reap the harvest. maybe they'll know of the believers of the faith who passed on trying to spread the Good News, or maybe not. in the same way, i have no idea who first walked through the thick snow and started the path. i've only reaped the benefits of it. but there has been people who started it all - who trudged through the snow, starting the path.

2) it's important for each generation to "pass on the buck" to the next. to pave the way for the next generation to perhaps become more devoted followers and lovers of Christ than they were. it's like the pathway in the snow. the more people cross it, the easier it becomes. that's not to say that it becomes easier for the next generation of Christ followers, but because the generation previous to it has gone through it, there's all these experiences that they've encountered and could share those experiences w/ the upcoming generation. there have been a ton of great theologians (c.s. lewis, a.w. tozer, etc.) that have lived and died. their journey with God has been documented, so people like us, many years later can read an account of what they learned, experienced, in order to help us with our walk with God. and the best thing we have, is the Bible! i mean, we have an account of all the amazing experiences that those people faced. what this does for the next generation is to "enlighten" them with truths and to help them in their faith. that kinda idea. so the more you "pave the way", the "easier" it'll become for the next.

near the end of the book of joshua, a tribe (i think the isrealites) erected a kind of monument for God. it was basically so that they wouldn't forget all that God had done for them. and it was also so that the generations to come wouldn't forget what God had done for their forefathers. i think we need to be reminded to do that, at least for ourselves. that we remember what God has done in our lives and never forget.

"let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord" (psalm 102:18 [NIV])

Posted by Leo Chan at February 27, 2003 12:48 AM