"Our Place In Time"

While surfing the Internet a few years ago, I came across the Henry Ford Museum, located in Dearborn, Michigan. In their “online exhibits” section, there is a fascinating exhibit entitled, “Your Place In Time” (scroll down to heading, "see all exhibits" at bottom of page and it will be the last listed exhibit). Click on that link, and then click on the heading, "The Exhibit" at the bottom of the next page, and you will see the highlighting of 5 generations of the 20th century. The exhibit looks at everyday technologies that shaped each of those generations.

It is a nostalgic and revealing walk through displays of national and world events covering five generations. These displays include popular entertainment and living conditions in the United States for folks who lived in the War Generation, the Eisenhower Generation, the Baby Boomers, and beyond.

As I was looking at this exhibit, my thoughts came to one inescapable conclusion — that although we cannot choose the period of history in which we live, we can choose “how” we will live during “our place in time.”

This truth is illustrated by the courageous actions of young Queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai in the book of Esther (Esther 4:1-17). When a hate-filled man named Haman sought to destroy their people, Mordecai urged Esther to risk approaching the king on their behalf. He said, “Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14). It is an important question that every Christian should consider. Like Esther, each of us is a unique individual in history. Our birth was no accident, and neither is God’s “call” to be His representatives wherever we live, work, or go to school (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14).

It’s a great privilege to be a Christian and a high calling to stand boldly for Christ and the gospel during “our place in time” (2 Thessalonians 2:15; cf. 2 Timothy 1:13; Titus 1:9). Let’s remember that every child of God has a special place in God’s marvelous plan.

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets