As a child, I often heard my parents and older family members tell about the Great Dust Bowl, which made and indelible mark on most people in this area of the world. They told about the storms when the dust blew so thick that it darkened the daylight. Chickens went to their roosts in the middle of the day and drivers turned on their headlights or pulled off the road.

Afterward there would be a film of dust on everything. Every piece of furniture, every dish, all the bedding; everything was covered with dust. The dust was so fine and the wind so strong that dust seeped into every cabinet and chest. Housecleaning was literally a never-ending task.

It occurs to me that there is a parable for contemporary life in the stories that we related by our ancestors. Today it’s not dust that swirls around so much as ideas. On some days we feel swamped by the ideas of contemporary culture, and many of these ideas are quite contrary to the beliefs and morals that have formed our moral and social identity.
Most of us were reared with a clear sense of Christian discipleship that entailed a clear moral framework for life. We gained this perspective from our parents and extended families, from our schools and from our neighborhoods, from our churches and religious education classes. Our moral framework was sometimes reinforced by the rules of citizenship.

Or moral framework included a clear respect for human life from beginning to end and a revulsion against violence toward human life. It included a clear sense of sexual ethics and parameters for a healthy family life. Our moral framework generally reminded that the Lord’s day is given for prayer, for rest and for spiritual rejuvenation. I’m sure you could list other aspects of this moral framework that were known in your own families.

Today as the winds of modernity sweep across the globe, many of our ancient guidelines have been called into question. These ideas come to us through the many forms of mass media and through the actions of our neighbors and family members. Even when we continue to profess faith of our ancestors, the dust of modernity settles in our minds and on our souls, and we lose the crisp, clear sense of what we believe and how we are to act.

As we make our way through life and grow in our Christian discipleship, it is essential that we are continually refreshed in the teachings of Jesus and the life of the church through study, prayer and Christian fellowship. Like our ancestors who survived the Dust Bowl, we need to continually examine the places we inhabit and clear away the dust that darkens our vision of faith.