On this Memorial Day

I didn’t know what Memorial Day was when growing up. It was a day off school. I kind of got Veteran’s Day, as it was clearer to me by name and practice. I was not part of a military family. My parents were laudable pacifists but I probably mocked the military, sadly.

So is everything the military does a good thing? Probably not. Many wars are brought about by lust, greed and the desire for power and influence. But does that mean the military is inherently bad? By no means.

Isn’t it true that most would-be soldiers wanted to improve their lives? Isn’t it true that they wanted discipline? Or they needed it? Maybe they needed a career and a calling. Maybe they needed a purpose but deep down didn’t know what it was. Most of them want to help people. Didn’t they want to help make the world a better place? Didn’t they die trying? Many of them did.

We remember them today. Shouldn’t we remember their families as well? The simple freedoms we have; not fighting for oil or greed or lust or power, but the fighting for the simple freedoms that we do have.

The freedom to believe what we want, the freedom to watch what we want (and hopefully we watch good things), the freedom to listen to what we want, the freedom to say what we want, the freedom to go where we please.

They died for these simple freedoms that we take for granted. Let us not forget them and let us not forget their families who also had to give up their loved ones to our service. Let us pray for them that their needs would be met.

These are my thoughts on Memorial Day weekend.

Here is a song that I think reflects on Jesus’ sacrifice which was the greatest of all time.