I can’t remember what year it was, but I had been asked to speak at the annual gathering of a local cemetery association.
This still-in-use cemetery started when the local community was pretty much at the dream stage. The first people buried here were the pioneers who thought this neck of the woods might be a good place for a town, so they planted themselves (perhaps an unfortunate use of words in the context of a cemetery) here and attempted to build a life.
They built homes and started businesses, churches, and schools.
They had a pioneering spirit and a vision of what could be.
They understood that there was no such thing as normal; they were creating something new.
As a part of my message that day, I suggested that we don’t honor the pioneering spirit of our ancestors by trying to keep things from changing, doing things as we’ve always done them, or protecting the traditions passed down to us simply for the sake of tradition.
I’m sure that there were some there who did not agree with me (but they invited me back a couple of years later, so I guess I wasn’t too offensive).
Not every person who reads this will agree with me now either, but I think we are in a period of time where pioneers are needed more than ever.
For the last 3-4 years, we have been in a time of the deepest turmoil and discontent that I have witnessed in my 61 years on this planet. I will not say that we are more divided than we have ever been in our country (620,000 who died in the Civil War might have a case), but I think one thing is clear:
“Normal” ain’t coming back.
Memory is not vision.
The past can inform the present, but returning to the way things were is not an option.
The best thing we can bring forward from those who came before us is not WHAT they did, but the visionary, pioneering spirit that gave them their INSPIRATION.
The Covid pandemic was not a temporary interruption; the world has changed.
And the way forward is not in choosing sides and fighting each other. It’s finding the commonalities we can build on and envisioning the future that could be if we are willing to live with some differences and uncertainty.
I recently read the words of Jesus in Mark 3:24-25:
“If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.”
In these verses, Jesus was—at the same time—addressing an immediate accusation and stating an eternal principle.
When teammates become opponents, or when family becomes foes, destruction is at hand.
Pioneers understand they don’t have the luxury of fighting over preferences. They need each other to survive and move toward the vision.
Here’s to the pioneers!
Be amazing today, my friend.
