One time I was out on vacation and I was eating lunch in a small restaurant in the tiny community, (population 90) of Escarpment Wyoming. This establishment could have been right out of the movie set for Jeremiah Johnson and the owner fit the part. He could have played the part of any of the mountain men in the movie and he did not need a costume or coaching. He was a big man and rough looking. He had on dirty blue jeans, cowboy boots, a dirty tee shirt with the sleeves having been ripped out revealing giant tattoos all over his huge arms; (even though it was 40 degrees outside) and long shaggy hair.
There were mounted cougars, elk, deer, and other animals lining the walls of his barbeque place and he was telling us the story of how each one of them was taken. My wife and I were with a friend of mine who owns a big Wyoming ranch. My friend had his young ranch hand with him, and we all talked for some time with this fellow as we dined. Suddenly the big man’s phone rang. It rang with the funniest ring I have ever heard. I have heard phone’s ring with dance tunes, bells chiming, bullfrog croaks, a dog shrieking like it was being beaten, a sneeze, college fight songs, but this guy had a Tarzan yell as his telephone ringer. Ah oh ah oh ah! Ah oh ah oh ah! It was too funny to see this mountain man answer his cell phone. Did I say his two front teeth were missing?
He sat across from us as we ate our lunch and he related humorous story after story, (all were laced with mountain man profanity which coming from him somehow was not offensive). It turns out that he owns the only limousine in the area and it had been rented by several bachelorettes for the evening and he was torn between going to the bull riding rodeo that night, or escorting these ladies from saloon to saloon. I could tell this decision was weighing on him, but somehow could not muster up much sympathy for his dilemma. Finally, we finished lunch and in just that short amount of time that we spent with him, we felt we were already good friends. He even invited us back to go cougar hunting with him next October.
As we were leaving he remarked to me about how polite the young ranch hand with us had been. This young man had been raised to be very polite and indeed everything he said was yes sir, no sir, yes ma’am, thank you kindly, yes please, etc. The mountain man told me, “You just don’t see kids with manners like that around here, every kid around here is weird”. Later I was talking to my wife about that conversation, and I asked her if she saw the irony in a mountain man with a Tarzan ringer on his phone and tattoos everywhere daring to call someone else weird.
I suppose every generation has wondered what has become of the younger generation. We worry and fret that the world is going crazy and that we are the only sane ones. I must admit I have made similar comments and feel the same as this guy about youngsters losing their manners and going off the deep end these days. I suppose I am just like the mountain man in having some nerve criticizing our youth when my own youth was a total disaster.
I am not their judge. God is their judge. My only responsibility is to try and be a model to them, and at every opportunity spread the good news of Christ. The Holy Spirit has the responsibility of convicting them of their sins and leading them to righteousness. In the end, some of our youth will do great and others will flounder, and others will fail, just like all of us before them. All will be judged by God and given their just and correct reward and/or punishment for the life they have lived. I suppose we should do our parts, and then sit back and relax and enjoy our salvation and let God worry about the rest of the weird ones out there.
Psalm 32: 10
Many sorrows shall be to the
wicked;
But he who trusts in the Lord,
mercy shall surround him.
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice
you righteous;
And shout for joy
all you upright in heart.