God Bless our Military

As of this writing, Memorial Day is only a few days away. And though no one in my immediate family has ever had to go and fight for the freedoms that I get to enjoy, I clearly have reaped the benefits that many unselfish men and women have won and protected on my behalf. Some of these men and women have paid the ultimate price for my freedom to pursue any vocation that I choose, say anything that’s on my mind, go anywhere I desire, live anyplace that I prefer, worship the God in whom I trust, and all of this only begins to touch the surface of the depth of their ultimate gift for me, a perfect stranger. Their willingness to give so much certainly leaves me feeling humbled. And it’s not like I can do anything to pay the ones back who died for my sake. What a beautiful illustration of Jesus’ words, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his (or her) friends" (John 15:13). The really radical thing is that these brave men and women have never even met me!

Some of the wars (or police actions) that our brave men and women have fought for us have been controversial. And while some may not agree with the reasons why our government may have deployed our military, our military still deserves to be respected and even honored. Without them, our nation would not enjoy the constant peace and safety that we all take for granted, nor would we experience the liberty of our own property, homes, cars, families, faith and other blessings that we enjoy daily.

It’s unfortunate that Memorial Day has become so commercial. Nearly every store has a sale, and picnics and cookouts are planned as people eagerly await weather reports to see if it will be nice enough to swim. Now I’m not trying to put a damper on everyone’s celebrations. I’m all for celebrating. I would just like to encourage us to remember why we even have the freedom to celebrate. And to all our brave military men and women everywhere, and especially to the families of those who’s loved ones paid the ultimate price, as understated as this seems, thank you – and God’s blessings on all of you.