Small Creatures – Big Dreams

Schueler auf dem Weg nach Hause

We think forward, not backward

When my wife and I go for a quick trip home to eat lunch with our son Florian, I often see them pass by.  Three children in their Diospi-Suyana school uniforms.  I remember well my days of school.  At 1:15 the redeeming bell would ring and we all would jump up and run out the door.  Six hours of education was enough; we were finally out of school!  On my way home I would often daydream.  What would I do later?  Would I one day be an explorer, a scientist, or even a missionary doctor?  Of course I had no idea of my future, but it seemed all options were open.

I always talk to people about their biography.  Childhood is often glorified in the nostalgic descriptions, but the life that follows is often not always so nice.  Thirty years later at class reunions we often hear of failed existences, early disease, and even death. But usually we don’t want to go back. Return once again to school as a child?  No thanks!  Register at the university and become exhausted cramming again for exams? I think not! Up for two hours trying to calm a crying baby with gas? Fortunately that is long gone!

Yes, we move forward, and we think forward. But everybody knows we eventually are heading to the cemetery. And then what? From the cradle to the grave.  The direction is unidirectional and we can see the end in sight. If that were all, I would have a stale taste in my mouth and a big question mark in my mind.

The Bible speaks of our life here on earth as a kind of preparation. The best is yet to come! We believe the promises of Jesus Christ and that is why we are Christians.

Occasionally I hear a person say they are satisfied with the here and now. When the lid closes, then it will have been enough. I don’t believe a word they say.  Eternity is set in our hearts, it says in the Book of Books. And in literature and music we see everywhere the longing for something “more.”  The musical “Cats” is successful not only because of the beautiful melodies, but certainly also because of its theme. /KDJ

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