In the early 60’s there was a very popular folk song called, “Where have all the flowers gone?” written by Pete Seeger. This song has been recorded by many artists and in many languages.
Considered to be a political song the message is very strong and has so much meaning. Many say it talks about the struggles of anger and war among the nations, but some have said it speaks also to the inner struggles of man with himself. The phrase “When will they ever learn,” is the endless battle within all of us and passes from generation to generation.
I think about this song in a different but similar way. I firmly believe that all of us could sing this song and not talk about the warfare within us but to the wisdom that has escaped us through the loss of older and wiser generations. Seeger’s song relates to young girls plucking the flowers and then the young girls being picked by the young men for their wives. The men go off to war and return to graveyards, which again produces flowers for the young girls to go and pluck again. It is a rotation that seems to never cease.
Thinking back to when I was a teenager I wish that I had spent more time listening and learning from the previous generation. Even though we are in the midst of the most advanced electronic age, have we learned the basics of life or are we just getting by with imitations that will soon fade into obscurity? What has happened to common courtesy? Where has the respect of elders gone to? What about the reverence of Sunday and God’s house?
We have become a generation of fast food, less family time, impatience, rudeness, little or no hospitality, self-centeredness, laziness, and, for many, Godlessness. The world moves in a fast circular motion and the people are continuing to look about and wonder why we are changing to the immoral and unethical values that are so prevalent today. Why have we quit standing up and speaking up for God? Why are we allowing radical religions to dictate to us what we should or should not be doing? Little by little Satan and his force of demons are taking away our freedoms that our previous generations treasured and stood up for.
Where have all the flowers gone? Gone to graveyards every one, when will we ever learn? If we continue on this path of destruction and our non-obedience to the one and only true God, then we will go to graveyards with no legacy to leave to our future generations. The future starts now and if we are not willing to stand and fight for what we know is right, then we have no hope. We need to hear and heed the psalmist words in Psalm 37:1-2: “Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong. For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb."
GARY ANDREWS' devotional appears each week on the Church Pages of your Clarksdale Press Register. You can contact him at GARY@gadevotionals.com
