Memorial Day Reflections

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.-“

These words from the Declaration of Independence are a constant reminder that our country has been, from the very beginning, a nation designed to safeguard the rights of the people.  America is the land of the free and the home of the brave, but ensuring the rights of a nation often require men and women in arms to make the ultimate sacrifice to defend the cause of freedom.

Today is Memorial Day. 

Today, our country remembers those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, giving their lives in the cause of freedom.

Freedom comes with responsibilities.

The first responsibility is to protect it.

“Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”

This is a quote that has been, perhaps, misattributed to Thomas Jefferson.

Whoever coined the term, the principle remains the same.  The freedoms we enjoy come from our willingness to defend them from those who seek to remove them.

When the 13 colonies declared independence from a tyrannical monarchy, there were those who stood up to defend the movement at the cost of their lives.

When our country engaged in a civil war to secure the freedom and liberty of our African American brothers and sisters, there were those who lost their lives in the cause of freedom.

When our country again stood up to tyranny fighting alongside our allies in the First World War, there were those who paid the ultimate cost, and when our country responded by an unprovoked attack at Pearl Harbor and stood against the Axis powers during the Second World War, rescuing the world from tyranny and genocide, there were brave soldiers who did not return home to reap the blessings of liberty they bravely fought to secure.

We have since lost brave soldiers in the Korean War and the Vietnam War.  We have lost brave soldiers during Desert Storm, and in Afghanistan when the United States reacted to the 911 attacks.  We have lost soldiers during the war in Iraq.

America is not a perfect nation, but we have been a defender of freedom both at home and abroad since our humble beginnings in 1776 when we declared that freedom was a practice and ideal worth defending.

We, who live under the canopy of freedom, have the responsibility to remember those whose lives were lost in the cause of defending the mantle of freedom.

We also have the privilege of using our freedoms responsibly.

“Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.”

 (1 Peter 2:16 ESV)

Ultimately, we owe our freedom to the providence of God. 

Peter reminded the believers in the province of Galatia that they had become God’s people, united in faith to Christ, and to those who have chosen to walk with Him. 

While we live here in this world, we are sojourners, exiles on the earth as our full and final citizenship is in heaven.

Thus, we use the freedoms that we have been providentially given while we live here, away from our permanent home, to serve the Lord.

Today let us engage in two acts of remembrance.

Let us remember those who have given their lives in the cause of freedom.

Let us also remember that our freedom has been providentially provided so that we can love and serve the God who gives us our ultimate freedom.

May the Lord be with you this Memorial Day.

Keep safe, be well, and stay encouraged.

Brian