Remembering the Sacrifice
By Tracy Smith
“Greater love has no one than this, that
he lay down his life for his friends.”
John 15:13 (NIV)
With my kids excited
to celebrate an extra day off of school today, it occurred to me that we’ve
lost the meaning of the Memorial Day holiday. We plan for the day off and all
that we will do: have a picnic, sleep in, work in the yard or just nothing.
Yet, the reason for the holiday gets lost in the shuffle and in the
busy-ness of the day.
Memorial Day is a day set aside to honor those in our nation’s history who have sacrificed their very lives to keep us free. However, we get so preoccupied with utilizing our extra day of “freedom” from our normal, daily responsibilities, that we forget the purpose for the holiday: to remember and thank those that have sacrificed everything to keep us free.
Aren’t we like that with our Lord, too? We get so caught up serving Him in our church, in our homes and in our community that we forget to stop and actually thank God for all He has done for us. We forget to thank Him for the sacrifice He made on our behalf.
Today, let’s remember to just stop, be still and be thankful for the sacrifice that so many American soldiers have made for our physical freedom…and the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross to keep us free for eternity.
GOING DEEPER:
1. What will you do today to thank veterans for the physical freedoms you enjoy?
2. What will you do today to thank Jesus for the freedom you enjoy both now and for eternity?
FURTHER READING:
John 3:16; Galatians 5:1; John 8:36; Ephesians 5:20
Memorial Day is a day set aside to honor those in our nation’s history who have sacrificed their very lives to keep us free. However, we get so preoccupied with utilizing our extra day of “freedom” from our normal, daily responsibilities, that we forget the purpose for the holiday: to remember and thank those that have sacrificed everything to keep us free.
Aren’t we like that with our Lord, too? We get so caught up serving Him in our church, in our homes and in our community that we forget to stop and actually thank God for all He has done for us. We forget to thank Him for the sacrifice He made on our behalf.
Today, let’s remember to just stop, be still and be thankful for the sacrifice that so many American soldiers have made for our physical freedom…and the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross to keep us free for eternity.
GOING DEEPER:
1. What will you do today to thank veterans for the physical freedoms you enjoy?
2. What will you do today to thank Jesus for the freedom you enjoy both now and for eternity?
FURTHER READING:
John 3:16; Galatians 5:1; John 8:36; Ephesians 5:20
Along with being a wife and mother to two teenage sons, Tracy is
a ministry assistant at Oakwood and works with a great group of Junior High
girls.
