Great Hope For Our Generation

by Christine Lee
GLDI Class of 2007
Graduate Student, Illinois College of Optometry

When people ask me how GLDI was, I’m not quite sure what to say. I could explain pieces of it—the wonderful JAMA staff, the great California weather, the Dream Center experience, the 95 other students, the famous speakers, and the good food—but none of this seems sufficient to explain the inaugural year of GLDI. When I was asked to write something about my GLDI experience, I thought about it for a few days, and God revealed a simple truth.  GLDI is about God. Anything true we learned during those 40 days had to do with God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. God’s fatherly, devoted pursuit for the redemption of our generation and all creation is clearly manifested in his gift of salvation through Jesus, and through the amazing movement and work of the Holy Spirit. For me, the existence and even necessity of the Trinity were confirmed during GLDI.

The realization that struck me most is that God has great hope for our generation—not just the second generation Korean Americans, but for all who are alive. He has a yearning desire to redeem all creation. My attitude toward our current generation was a mixture of apathy and anger. I expected nothing from my peers, assuming that this generation was doomed to destruction. God showed me through my fellow GLDI warriors and our many guest speakers that there is a pure hope for us, and that His love covers and surpasses any obstacles that our generation faces today. My pessimism was a sad sin, cloaking my mind from the possibilities and potential our generation holds. I am now eagerly approaching our generation with optimism and a higher expectation for what is to come.

The real challenge of GLDI’s effectiveness is the changes that come because of God’s work through it. The true experience of GLDI is just beginning. I am truly hopeful and excited about what God has in store for us, as we, the GLDI warriors, strive to bring glory to His name here on earth. I am so glad to have met some of my fellow warriors this summer, for we are all running this race together. I pray that we will run well and run hard, with eyes fixed firmly on Jesus.