I always joke that I was born in the wrong era. My fascination with the simple life combined with a fierce sense of patriotism suggests I would’ve been a better fit in the 1800’s or maybe just with the Amish. My family laughs hysterically at this and says they’re glad I live in the 21st century with them on the farm instead but I’m half serious.
What a better world we would be if we lost our sense of entitlement, our love of technology, our passion for progression, and our lack of patriotism? If we remembered daily what our forefathers fought for in the establishment of our country, the lives that were lost, and the freedom we gained, I wonder if we would humbly unite to continue defending our country and the lives in it? I wonder if we would stand up against a government intent on ravishing our rights, manipulating the majority, and demolishing our democracy?
And if we remembered those men and women who died for our freedom, might we also remember the man who died for our sins? Might we stand up for our own rights?
We scarcely endured our first year of American history without teardrops splashed across every page of our history book and I lost myself in the reading of the first Americans, their protective passion and undying devotion to America, and their love of God. The words disappeared and I stood next to Francis Scott Key on September 13, 1814 on a British warship. He boarded to negotiate an exchange of prisoners but instead stared at the blazing rockets, bombs bursting in air. The thundering booms lit up the night so brightly it looked like daylight. We squinted, trying to see if the giant flag was still flying. Key grabbed a letter and began scribbling these famous words:
Oh! Say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro’ the perilous fight.
O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro’ the night that our flag was still there.
Oh! Say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
The light dawned and we could clearly see the Stars and Stripes still flying over the fort. We won. We won!
Are we still winning today? Or are we so far removed from the frontlines that we don’t even realize we’ve let the enemy sneak in from behind?
As a mama of six, I can only imagine waiting at home while my husband was on the frontlines, wondering if he would return home again or meet his maker behind enemy lines? My heart beats faster, thinking of the sufferings of every family who has lost a loved one in battle, fighting for our freedom. A father. A son. A grandfather. An uncle. A cousin.
My grandfather fought in the Navy in World War II and we have a scrapbook of every article written about his service. I weep, reading about his miraculous survival when his ship, the USS Savannah withstood a direct hit from the largest bomb ever exploded inside an American naval vessel. He survived, and received a purple heart, but many of his friends did not. He spoke of the hurt, seeing his friends lying next to him and being unable to do anything about it but keep on fighting. My own heart hurts thinking of the families throughout the ages who have answered that dreadful knock on the door, delivering the terrible news that their loved one has been killed in action.
You may not have lost a family member in action, but let’s remember, we are still fighting a war and it’s not just physical. Let’s remember all the lives lost, and the most important life lost on a cross 2,000 years ago. He was mocked, belittled, beaten, and shamed, to lay down his life for you. Because He loves you. But it didn’t stop there because Jesus rose from the grave, victorious over death which holds no sting. Are you thankful for Him?
But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. Acts 2:24
I recently read these words by Ruth Soukup, “Our level of gratitude in every circumstance will also determine our level of joy.” What does your gratitude look like? Will you remember the lives of our fallen soldiers today? Will you remember they died fighting for our country, our freedoms, and our future? Are you thankful for them?
Will you also remember the man who laid down his life for yours on the rough-cut wood of an old tree?
No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.
1 John 15:13
If you’ve lost a loved one in action, my heart is with you today as we remember their lives. Their passion to protect. Their determination to defender. Their dogged deliverance of freedom as we know it.
Let’s honor their memory today by sharing this message with a veteran and thanking them for their service. I’d love for you to visit me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and share a picture of your veteran (make sure to tag me!)!
Have a wonderful Memorial Day!
My grandfather receiving gratitude and a purple heart.
