Our Journey

A friend of mine spoke before an audience today. One of the things she said was: Each generation has its own faith journey.

Now I have made up my mind to avoid sex, religion, or politics in this blog simply because I know my parents will read it. I wouldn’t want them to be too shocked at this stage in their lives. But I do believe that they live their lives by faith.

Years ago my grandfather bought Mom a new car so that she could haul the grandparents around in air-conditioned comfort. Mom and Dad are still driving that old Chevy. Her name is “Old Hope So.” Whenever they get in that car, they pray that they will get where they are going and back again. That is faith. But I bought them a cell phone for practical purposes.

My great-great grandmother rode a horse from Traskwood, Arkansas, to San Antonio, Texas, to bring her husband home after he had an accident while making shoes for the Confederate Army. Not only did that take faith, it took pure courage. I suspect that she carried a gun.

Today a stable investment in government bonds can lose over $140,000 in a year and a half. Faith in anything connected to the economy is a false hope. Yet we have to have faith that our economy will recover enough for people to be able to make a living. Somehow I don’t see sticking money in quart jars in the cellar as any answer to economic woes.

Our nation once believed in progress, expansion, the work ethic, and honesty as the standard of national conduct. We had faith in our destiny and in our fellow man. We shared a faith in the Creator and understood allusions made to scripture. The Baptist nodded their heads at the Methodists, and the Church of Christ spoke to the members of the Assembly of God. Everyone knew who was Catholic.

Today we teach cultural awareness, social tip toeing, and other forms of altered awareness of others’ beliefs. Political correctness is akin to social acceptance. And if you believe that, Arizona has some ocean front property for sale!

Our generation has much to offer in the way of social adjustments. Mixed race marriages, or children born who have “baby daddy” and “baby mama” instead of parents, mixed or bisexual relationships, or same sex relationships, mixed and blended families where mama’s aunt is her sister-in-law—oh, we have faith in ourselves. But our journey has been undertaken without a map—without a faith-based understanding. God help us!