It'll be Alright.

In 1978, a project in The People’s Republic of China called the Green Wall of China was begun to cease the spreading of the Gobi Desert.  China has seen 1,290 square miles overtaken by the Gobi Desert every year.  The storms caused over this desert each year rip off over 900 square miles of top soil, and effect countries beyond China including North & South Korea and Japan.  The project, which is planned to plant 2,800 miles of man-planted forest strips to prevent the spread of the desert, is planned to be finished on 2050.  That means that the whole continuance of the project will last 72 years.  In those years, I would estimate that perhaps 92,880 square miles of land will be destroyed and consumed by the Gobi Desert.

More importantly, the current average life expectancy in China is 73.1.  That means, in theory, there is the possibility that there could be people who would spend essentially their whole lifetime working on this project, all the time with the gravity of 92,880 square or more at stake to spurn them on.  Depending on the amount of people delegated to the project, there could be a considerable amount of people who’s sole purpose is resigned simply to this.  

This meaning, for the next 50 years, there will be people in China deep in their field, concerned about the spread of the Gobi desert, remaining primarily in realms where they’ll deal with this concern, and many of them will die in the process.  

How will these people hear the Gospel of Christ?  If there are none in the body of Christ, concerned enough about forestation, environmental, or ecological related issues, and inserting themselves in them, this is just one small example of people who may never get an opportunity to hear of the transformative power of Christ and come to a salvation knowledge of Him.  

Next time I discredit someone’s career choice or life’s vocation, I’ll check myself, remembering that anywhere any follower of Christ goes, they bring a candle.