Bible Articles

C A R L   B.   G A R N E R THE PASSING OF A GENERATION Some day we are going to wake up and discover just how valuable "they" have been, and the impact "they" had on our lives and the whole nation. But by then, they will all be gone! Recent months and years have seen the passing of almost an entire generation of people. Of course that is the way life is, and we are not surprised at the passing of generations. But there is something unique about this one. This generation - my parents and their peers - exhibited qualities and had experiences that will not likely be seen or repeated again. And those qualities, as they vanish from our presence, will be missed by all of us, even if we don't have the good sense to realize it. This is a generation that saw a Great Depression blossom in their youth, only to see it end in a tragic World War! This generation survived the threat of ravaging diseases, nuclear holocaust, and financial doom. They saw the development of great scientific advances in transportation, medicine, communication and, unfortunately, warfare and oppression. They heard promises of a "chicken in every pot" and a "Great Society," only to discover the emptiness of too many of those promises. They saw man bring suffering upon himself by crime, alcohol, violence, and ethical weakness. They saw a world turn from God to gold, to pleasure and to self-destruction. Oh yes, they made mistakes, but they learned from them. And they worked! My generation may never know what downright hard work really is! Not like they worked (cotton fields, coal mines, foundries, railroad yards, factories and farms). The "work ethic" of that generation lived because of necessity, determination, survival and character. And a land of bountiful production resulted. Sociologists are even now discovering and writing about the value of a similar attitude toward work and industry in our own time. What will it be like without "them"? Will their character and work attitudes survive? Or will a "me-first" generation succeed them, demanding more privileges and rights, while offering less and less in exchange? Unfortunately, the present signs do not look promising. What will be the consequences upon the Lord's church in their passing? They usually were self-taught, or learned God's Word at the feet of self-taught preachers. They studied "The Book" for themselves, then abandoned religious error because of that study. They taught their families, their friends, and their neighbors the same truth they had learned. They taught their Bible classes after having plowed in the fields, mended fences, or having washed and ironed loads of clothes. (They did all of this, I might add, without the benefit of most of our modern machines and appliances.) They warned against the danger of "drifting" back to the world, and they resolved not to allow worldliness and weakness to take the church into apostasy. As elders they pastored the flock, and as deacons they served. As mothers and wives, they lovingly cared for their families, often in the shadow of hardship and a poverty that would have destroyed many in my generation. They wanted to be God's people and were willing to do God's will in God's way. We cannot afford to lose sight of that attitude and their influence! We had better hope, work and pray that these qualities do not die with their generation! The church, both individually and collectively, needs those qualities now as much as ever: hard work, courage, study, humility, endurance, vigilance, dedication, persistence, selflessness, generosity, service. With those traits we can overcome any of Satan's opposition. Without them, we are not the Lord's people. To say "thanks" to a generation of people is not nearly enough! And yet, we owe them at least that much. We offer our deepest appreciation to each one of you - for surviving and for teaching us how to survive and to overcome. For those who have passed on, and to those who are still with us, we express our heart-felt gratitude, and we promise that your accomplishments will not soon be forgotten. The family, nation, home and even the generations of man have always been important in God's scheme of things. "For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children," Psalms 78:5-6. May it not be said of us that we forgot our forebears; that we did not "make known to [our] children" the manifold wisdom of Jehovah. That would be the ultimate act of neglect and ingratitude.