Do you have special memories of “the good old days?” Were they safer? More innocent, somehow? When I was a kid in school, growing up in the American South, the final dismissal bell at the end of the school year unleashed a veritable cloud of papers, notebooks, pencils, socks, and shoes as adolescents fled the scene of their “captivity.” They were ready to roam, “free at last” during the refreshing period known simply as “summer vacation!” This treasured escape of the year, when adventure was the only assignment, started with a jubilant burst of excitement. A couple of mornings learning the art of “sleeping in” would follow—then the exploring would commence.
Our town had an abandoned World War II airport—a perfect stage for endless exploits. Bicycle trails crisscrossed the forgotten, barely paved runways. The airfield’s open meadows provided battlegrounds for imagined military maneuvers that could last all day. With a few carefully placed objects, the same meadows became a ballfield for the next generation of big leaguers. When a rainstorm postponed the action, bordering trees supplied a partial haven—cover from most of the precipitation. After the rain, the wet grassy meadow was wondrously transformed into the county’s biggest “slip-and-slide,” since we were all soaked anyhow.
Abundant, wild, fruit-bearing plants supplied the daily cuisine. Strawberries, yellow and red plums, and blueberries ripened in early June and remained through the season until all were consumed. Varieties of blackberries also grew throughout the summer, providing nourishment until appetites were appeased—at which point we laughingly used the fruit as the forerunner of paintballs. The blackberry stain on a white T-shirt was undeniable evidence of a masterful direct hit. What an adventure!
Will children around the world never again be free to lose themselves in the unabashed joy of life? Will there ever be a time when all will be safe to play and roam through God’s creation? Gang- and drug-related violence, kidnapping, conflict, and civil strife have given people more fear for their children than most of our parents ever experienced. We realize that such joyous childhood adventuring may seldom be possible until a different time, a future situation, a world to come—but it will come! And it will be different in a way no one has ever seen.
During a time of restoration for his people after their release from Babylonian captivity, the prophet and priest Zechariah chronicled the message of a future restoration—a vision of a world where Jesus Christ establishes and rules a time of peace unlike what has ever before been seen on earth: “Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem,” safe from the dangers that plague most major cities in our present age. “The streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing,” records the prophet—a glimpse into this coming age when children will play in joyful exuberance, unencumbered by worries for their safety (Zechariah 8:4–5).
The Bible identifies this time as the millennial reign of Jesus Christ and the saints—a soon-coming period when the Creator of the universe will intervene, reclaiming this world from mankind’s self-inflicted chaos and establishing His laws on a foundation of love for our fellow man. God will create an environment where life will flourish and be cherished as the rule of God’s family is realized. Truly, that will be a time like no other.