Lonely Times

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Yesterday morning my dad spoke with Trinity Men and shared about the importance of being connected as a man. He told about how he grew up on a farm with his Grandpa next door and his great Grandpa living behind his Grandpa. SO four generations all within sightline.

He said that his dad and Grandpa both worked so a lot of the chores around the farm were left to him. He mentioned that chores were not assignments as much as common responsibility ... everybody on the farm worked. And the one to help little Larry (my dad) was his great Grandpa. They never planned out when they would meet up in the field ... it was just that when my dad went out to work, within minutes there was great Grandpa by his side. He was the one who talked about the world and life and struggle and farm work and economy and women with. He didn't have any education, couldn't read or write, couldn't drive a car ... but he loved my dad and was there for him day in and day out.

This was a powerful story to me. I know our gains in city life and technology and education are real, but I constantly wonder at what cost. We can't all go back to our homelands (many of us don't even have one) and start farming ... but what can we do about the loneliness that results from the splintered lives we lead. If people are not individuals, but connected ... set in families and clans, how do we even survive all chopped up and scattered about?

More and more I think the great calling of the church in the 21st century (is it the 22nd now?) is to provide a home to the homeless and a family to the orphans. The homeless live in mansions and the orphans are fat ... but homeless and lonely all the same. I am a rich and fat little orphan and I am affected with every mention of the word home in the scriptures.

Comments

Cameron said…
This post really hit home for me. The image of your dad and his great grandfather is profound and inspiring. Thanks for sharing.
April 16, 2009 at 9:38 AM
Jerri said…
This was awesome. I connected and agreed with so much of this. I guess because I was raised on a farm, completely surrounded by all my family and now I live in the city.

"How do we survive all chopped up and scattered about?" Quite a question for people to ponder.

And....

"The homeless live in mansions and the orphans are fat...but homeless and lonely all the same." So true. People talk about ministry to the poor so much. This is very much God and awesome. I'm thankful people are willing to go when called to minister to the poor. But what about the ones who work in the skyscrapers and live in the mansions. How many are willing to go minister to them. You don't hear about missions to minister to them very much. But are they not all lost just the same. Homeless and orphaned.
July 11, 2009 at 7:24 PM
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