It Takes Life to Love Life

My Niece's Birthday Cake

Isaiah 3:5 NIV

"People will oppress each other-- man against man, neighbor against neighbor. The young will rise up against the old, the base against the honorable."

Many years ago as a graduate student, I researched a topic in the media center, and I was skimming through old newspaper articles on the microfiche reader.  As I made my way through the papers, I encountered a political cartoon from the early 1900s that caused me to stop and reflect.

The cartoon depicted an old man dressed in late-1800s style clothing sitting on a stool. He had a younger man over his knee whipping him with a belt strap. The younger man was dressed in more "modern" early-1900s clothes. As the old man beat the younger one, he yelled about the latter ruining society and destroying decent values.

That was the gist of the cartoon: The younger generation was destroying the values the older generation had established.

When I saw the cartoon, I glanced again at the date of the newspaper as the complaint was so modern.

Edgar Lee Masters, in his Spoon River Anthology, also expressed a similar point of view through Lucinda Matlock's monologue. She ended her speech with this question for her listeners:

"What is this I hear of sorrow and weariness,

Anger, discontent and drooping hopes?

Degenerate sons and daughters,

Life is too strong for you --

It takes life to love Life."

Wow.  If "she" didn't ask this question in 1915, she could be talking to any of my students in my classes at school right now.

Both the cartoonist and poet looked at the younger generation and worried about the future, but somehow, the youth rose to the occasion. They even produced the "Greatest Generation," the men and women of the World War II era.

Perhaps God had a hand in this?  Maybe the cartoonist and poet left out a piece of the equation when looking ahead to the future trying to predict the potential of people's lives.

While it's true there are notable problems among young people today, and the media is quick to point those out, there are good, decent kids in the world who are rising to leadership positions.

Somehow, someway, despite the fear of their elders, they will persevere and make the world a little better off because they were here.

I like to think God is the answer to the equation, and He is the one in control.  Before our generation writes off the next one behind us, we should give God a chance to work with them and refine them.

For example, as I consider the students I teach, sometimes I worry. However, when one of them turns in an answer like this: "Julius Caesar defeated the gulls,"  I shouldn't worry.

Instead, I remind myself this student needs help with spelling, and, so far, all the seagulls on the Atlantic Coast have been spared from Roman Legion attacks.

God has sent me to help this student learn how to spell, and in the process, I will remind her the Gauls were the ancient French. 

I'm a teacher. It's what God wants me to do--help the kids, not tear them down with my words.

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Lord, lead and protect our youth who are growing up in difficult times.