Our Generation

We were in class on a Sunday morning. A lady mentioned ‘The Greatest Generation’, and how sad it was we were loosing them at a very fast rate. 

(“The Greatest Generation" is a term made popular by journalist Tom Brokaw to describe the generation who grew up in the United States during the deprivation of the Great Depression, and then went on to fight in World War II, as well as those whose productivity within the war's home front made a decisive material contribution to the war effort, for which the generation is also termed the G.I. Generation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greatest_Generation

The Greatest Generation is the title of Tom Brokaw's 1998 book profiling members of this generation, stemming from his attendance at the D-Day 40th anniversary celebrations. In the book, Brokaw wrote, "it is, I believe, the greatest generation any society has ever produced." He argued that these men and women fought not for fame and recognition, but because it was the "right thing to do.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greatest_Generation. The greatest generation - Tom Brokaw - Google Boeken. books.google.com)

Our class was in the midst of a discussion on pride, when the comment was made. ‘The Greatest Generation’ in America is definitely a source of pride for our country. Our country will not be the same once this generation is gone. Both sets of my grandparents were a part of this generation. Each of their deaths in 1992, 1993, 1999, and 2012 left a significant hole in our family, for which no one was equipped or qualified to fill the void. I dare say thousands of families feel the same at the loss of their members who are part of the elite group known as ‘The Greatest Generation’. 

A few comments were made on pride and the effects it can have, both good and bad. Pride in oneself can cause someone to perform above average at a job, to push themselves to do better. Pride can also cause sin. This morning we all felt pride knowing people who fell within the time frame of ‘The Greatest Generation’. The label of ‘The Greatest Generation’ is, I suppose, uniquely American.

My life has been relatively short thus far. My years will be but a very small speck on God’s great timeline. 2 Peter 3:8 (NIV) says ‘But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.’ With that, I must say my knowledge of the impact of different generations thru all history is extremely limited. That morning my mind thought about a little bit broader picture. The label given to this special generation made my mind wonder. What would ‘God’ consider ‘The Greatest Generation’ of all mankind? Who would they be?

Could it have been the generation of Israelites which Moses, by obedience, led out of Egypt?

Could it have been the generation of Israelites which Joshua, by faith, entered into the promised land?

Could it be the generation of new converts during the early days of christianity when Paul and others were spreading the gospel, and growing God’s kingdom.

Could it be one of the generations impacted by evangelist Billy Graham during the years of his ministry? 

Could it be the generation affected by Martin Luther and his ninety-five theses?

The events surrounding any of these are significant, and possibly could be worthy of achieving the title of ‘The Greatest’. 

Or just maybe, Could it be us? Could it be our generation? We have media available to share the gospel in remote villages of third world countries. We have satellite TV with gospel channels reaching homes worldwide. Satellite radio stations are playing christian music 24 hours a day. Facebook users can share their testimony worldwide. Amazon provides international purchasing of christian books, bibles, and literature to many countries. Numerous venues are available to spread the gospel to the most remote regions of the world. Hundreds, thousands, and millions are being affected by the unlimited possibilities of spreading the gospel. At our fingertips we have the power to impact a vast audience of people. 

Pause for just a second. As I was writing this, it was time to go to bed. I went to bed and slept for a couple hours, and then woke up. Mid-life has a way of waking me up in the middle of the night with a novelty called ‘night sweats’. During the time awake some nights, I try to take the time and just listen. It seems easier to hear what God has to say, if I’m not talking. During the day can be too noisy, and busy, for me to just listen. As I lay there in the quiet, and praying, this blog post started going thru my head. A couple scriptures came rolling thru my thoughts. The one about God’s ways are higher than our ways: Isaiah 55:9 (NIV) ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ The other verse was the one I used earlier in this blog, 2 Peter 3:8 (NIV) ‘But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.’

Writing this blog I realized I was trying to put God in a box. I was trying to limit His greatest work to a single generation. The passage in Isaiah 55 reminded me while we can put a constraining label on a specific generation, there are no labels that constrain God. The passage in 2 Peter reminded me, while we put constraints of time on a specific generation, there is no constraint of time for God. Our time here on earth is a different time than Moses, Joshua, Paul, Billy Graham, Martin Luther, and other great trail blazers. Our time is now. This is the time we write our story. There are no labels or time constraints that limit God’s power to move in mighty ways. The God of Moses is my God. The God of Joshua is my God. The God of Paul is my God. The God of Billy Graham is my God. The God of Martin Luther is my God. We are ALL a part of God’s Greatest Generation. 

Today is the day to seize, and make a difference. Get in the race. Get on board. Use your available tools. Embrace these days. This is ‘Our Generation’. Make a difference. Speak it. Youtube it. Tweet it. Blog it. Email it. Instagram it. Copy it. Paste it. Vimeo it. Write it. Post it. Tag it. Share it. 

Both photos include several members of 'The Greatest Generation' in America. Photos are at a ground breaking for a Family Life Center at a church we attended. Photos were taken in the early 1990's.