This week on Geek Devotions, as we continue through mecha inspired series, Dallas takes a look at an entry in his favorite Mecha franchise… Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam! In this direct sequel to First Gundam, Amuro Ray finds himself having to work with the next generation of Gundam Pilots… Kamille Bidan. Why is it important for generations to work together? What are the benefits? Join us to find out!
Written Devotion
In 1985, Yoshiyuki Tomino released the sequel series to his famed anime series, Mobile Suit Gundam. This new series was meant to continue the story while being something a new generation of anime fans could cling to. Enter… Zeta Gundam. This new series played all its cards right by having a decent mixture of returning characters and introducing new ones. The story highlights the awkwardness as one generation begins to step into the roles previously filled by an older generation.
A great example of this in the series is the relationship between Amuro Ray and Kamille Bidan. Whereas Amuro is the original Gundam pilot, Kamille is the hot new pilot of the recently released Gundam Mark II. The two must learn to work together, but the generational divide has caused some friction. This is, unfortunately, an all too real problem in today’s age. So today we will give three reasons generations need to work together.
Inspiration
Throughout the scriptures, we repeatedly see where one generation is inspired by the next. So often, you see God commanding people to pass on the stories of what He’s done and, at the same time, see passages like Psalm 44 where a generation talks about being stirred to do the will of God because of those stories.
In Zeta Gundam, Kamille grew up with the stories of Amuro Ray. At times he felt burdened by those stories because he felt like he had to live up to the reputation left by him. Yet, at the same time, those stories spurred him and showed what he could do. At the same time, Amuro was inspired by Kamille. Amuro was in a slump after the events of the first series and didn’t know if he could fight anymore. So, he needed to see and hear Kamille to stir that fighting spirit.
Young people, the older generation needs to hear your voice. They need to hear and see God moving in their life. Your testimony can stir the fires that once burned bright and encourage them to continue to do what God has called them to do. Older generation, God’s not done with you yet! There’s still more for you to do. You may need to shift what you do and how you do it, but there’s still more!
Teaching
Beyond inspiring each other, we need to teach each other. We have an older generation full of experience that needs to be passed on to the younger generation to help them grow. Unfortunately, for far too long, there’s been an attitude of “let them struggle and figure it out like we did.” This is an incredibly unhealthy mindset. We aren’t saying you need to do everything for the next generation. But we must foster the mindset that our ceiling is the floor for the next generation.
There’s something to be said about not just teaching the younger generation about our victories, though. They also need to hear about our failures. For example, in Zeta Gundam, Kamille meets the legendary Amuro, but quickly discovers that Amuro is a flawed man. While this is discouraging at first, it gives rise to him learning from the mistakes of Amuro. The younger generation needs to hear about how we have failed, so they don’t have to.
At the same time, younger generations, we implore you to have grace. One mistake doesn’t have to discount the years of positive things that were done. There is a lot to the old phrase “eat the meat and spit out the bones.” At the same time, the older generation has a lot to learn from the younger. You need to learn about how they see the world around them. You need to learn how they do things and how they speak.
This takes humility on both sides of the aisle. Both generations have to be humble enough to say, “maybe what I know and what I do is not enough.” Both must be humble enough to say, “Perhaps the other generation can teach me to do something better.”
End Game
Both generations must learn to work together because there is an end game to remember. We are called to reach the lost. and let them know that they are loved, that they are cared for, and that there is a plan and a purpose for their lives. We are called to let people know that Jesus has made way for them to have a relationship with God the Father. However, if all the world sees is bickering between generations in the church, or we are gatekeeping the gospel due to generational ignorance; then we are only putting up roadblocks for the gospel.