Today we remember the men and women in our armed forces who gave their lives to protect this country and preserve our freedom. These men and women gave up themselves so that someone else could enjoy freedom. Even if they didn’t get to see this freedom, they knew someone else would. Some of them knew for sure they would never see it, but they fought anyway.
It is a difficult act of heroism to fight for others to get something when you know you won’t get it. No matter how hard and long you fight for it, someone else will get it. It gets harder when you know you won’t get it because you’ll die. You will die and you will never see what you fought for come to fruition.
But someone else will.
Someone else will get what you fought for. That can be a wonderful thing, and it can be a horrible thing.
It is wonderful when someone enjoys the purpose of your struggles and is truly grateful for it, using it for the best things they can. But it is horrible when everything you fought for is taken for granted. “Oh, I’ve always had this and I always will.”
We often fall towards that second attitude when it comes to our freedom. We enjoy what we have, but we don’t enjoy it fully because we aren’t grateful. We forget what it had cost to get it, and we forget that it does cost to keep it.
But what if it only needed to cost once, and then never again? Would we be any more or any less grateful?
From what I know, we’d probably be just the same. How do I know? Because Jesus gave His life for spiritual freedom, paying the cost once and for all, and we act like it doesn’t even matter that much. “Oh, God loves me. Hooray! Let me just go on with my life.”
No. You don’t just get to go on with your life. You won’t enjoy your freedom to the fullest without being grateful. Did you forget that Jesus not only died but came back to life? He didn’t die and rise again so you could sit around on your cushy sofa and think about how nice it is to be free. He did this so you could get up and be what He created you to be. He did this so you could go to others who still need freedom. We are to go to them and show them Jesus, the Great Liberator!
So while you’re out enjoying your freedom today, be sure you are really enjoying it! Have a good Memorial Day!