According to an often-referenced legend, when Napoleon Boneparte was leading the French army, a summer heatwave struck with debilitating effect. One of Napoleon’s aides asked the general what the appropriate action would be. Napoleon’s response was to have the army make encampments under the shade of the trees. However, there were not many trees to be found, at which point Napoleon instructed his aide to go and plant trees. The rather predictable reply of the aide was to point out that it would take many years for the trees to mature to the point of providing meaningful shade. Undaunted, Napoleon told his aide “Then start planting trees today.”
It is quite a conundrum – to have an immediate tactical need and a long-term strategic solution, knowing that the strategic effort will have no bearing on the present condition. How does one decide how to allocate resources, especially if the pressing concern is so obvious, so present, that it seems difficult to imagine getting beyond it. Another way of looking at the question is, how do you justify working on something that you might never personally benefit from?
One answer is to realize that we are likely benefitting from strategic decisions that others made generations before us, when they decided to divert resources to something that they would never benefit from. In a sense, this is a “pay-it-forward” model that recognizes that we have been blessed so that we can bless others. Perhaps the best model that we have of this in the United States is when Andrew Carnegie left a major portion of his estate to funding the establishment of nearly 1,700 public libraries that would provide access to learning opportunities for generations to come.
However, another answer is that there are incredibly important ventures that cannot be accomplished in the short-term, and potentially not even in our lifetimes, that need to be worked on. These are ventures that simply require faith that the desired future good will come to pass, and when a person’s faith is strong enough, they will take those actions that don’t convey an immediate benefit or even detract from the present conditions so that the future is greatly improved. The Bible is filled with people who believed in a promise from God and subsequently sacrificed their immediate well-being so that future benefits could be secured for themselves and for generations to come. Indeed, the nation of Israel was the fulfillment of one such promise that was made to Abraham 400 years before his descendants would see it become a reality.
We have some pressing needs of our own in our community, but we also need to be thinking strategically, willing to work on solutions that might not bring about tangible results for five years or more. It might require resources and efforts from some people who will not be around to experience any personal benefit, and it might require diverting some attention from issues that will continue to be problematic in the short- to mid-term. However, if it is the right thing to do, then it should be done – even if it seems like it distracts from solving an immediate problem. And sometimes, that is precisely what faith looks like.
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron