There is no doubt the freedoms I enjoyed as a child are no longer around. If a parent let their child do today what I could do back then, he or she would be brought before Social Services. It was not just my parents, but every parent in my neighborhood was the same way. For instance, I can remember getting to ride my bike to school every day when I got into the sixth grade. That’s unheard of today. The trip was approximately a three-mile ride that led beside the foundry, by the old ice plant, and across the railroad tracks at the train station. I can still remember how cool the early morning air felt on my skin, on that first day. I think that was the only day in my life I actually looked forward to going to school. In those days no one thought about someone kidnapping a child. Nobody I knew even locked the door to their home! But that bicycle was my transportation to the world. I rode it to school, baseball practice, the swimming pool, the roller rink, the movies, friend’s houses, and to the best fishing holes all over my little city. I’ve carried bats and gloves, fishing poles, and even stringers of carp while maneuvering my way in and out of every shortcut. In my day it was banana seats, sissy bars, and one gear. And the handlebars were so long and tall, a friend could always come along. Sometimes that bike took me to places I had never been, but it always brought me back home. Every kid in that day was an expert bicycle mechanic and custom rod builder. We had to be if we were going to be able to travel. And boy did we travel. Today is so different. Better in many aspects and worse in some. Today, we have better education, better technology, and more skills. And these are why I will never long for the “good ole days.” What is worse is mankind. Not individually, but collectively. The shear number of people added to our propensity to sin, equals more sin in the world and thus a more sinful world. For follower of Jesus, we can either bemoan the new sinful days and complain about this new Godless world, or we can realize the opportunities to share the good news of the gospel has never been better. Don’t think a more sinful world hurts your purpose. It actually makes it easier to find those who need a message of God’s grace.
Gary Miller
gary@outdoortruths.org