Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Memorial Day

This past weekend was Memorial Day weekend. Yesterday was Memorial Day. This is an interesting time to celebrate. I have always found it to be a bit of a dilemma to celebrate freedom given to us in our country by soldiers who valiantly fought for it. They fought for it and many lost their lives in for freedom to be achieved. I am not quite sure if I can say it was given, but I am sure it was achieved by the fighting and lives taken in order for me to have a barbecue with family and friends and extra day off from work.

This might seem cynical, but it is not. You see, for me I celebrate mentally and internally the fact that I have freedom. I can go to school, eat whenever I want, read whatever books I may choose to read (that includes The Hunger Games), and live a life with no restrictions. I thank every soldier that has come before and are currently fighting for that. However, I feel like there are many who view it the way I just put it in the first paragraph. They enjoy the day off, the drinking, the barbecue or family meal, but very rarely is it brought to the forefront the reason why they can enjoy that day.

This whole thing may offend people, but if you are one who celebrates it for the reason, then awesome, you shouldn’t be offended. If you aren’t, well be offended.

Now, let’s look to the biblical fact that rests in Memorial Day. It is a celebration of freedom. It is a time to look upon our lives and rejoice in the fact that we do not live under dictator rule or some crazy man. The fact of the matter is we had a savior who did the same thing. In our need for freedom God sent Jesus to die on the cross in order to give us a life that is to be lived freely. He even shares He came so that we may have life and life to the full.

Our Memorial Day should be spent remembering the soldiers who sacrificed for us, but even more importantly every day should be spent, if you are a follower of Christ, celebrating the freedom in life that has been given by the noblest of sacrifices on the cross. Let us always remember!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

So what do you think we could do to better remember what Christ did for us as well as what are soldiers are doing for us? You are right we do take these things for granted but how can we change it besides just thinking about them.

Unknown said...

This is a great question, as with everything there needs to be balance. It is very similar to Christmas. When we get to Christmas some people forget what the season is about. I mean, we may remember, but the gifts take priority for some. I know Memorial Day wasn’t established for Christ and then got turned into a soldier holiday, but I think it can serve as a reminder for followers of Christ.

It really takes intentionality on our part to remember the sacrifice of Christ, just as it takes intentionality to remember the soldiers during our barbecues. We need to remember regularly and maybe we won’t need special days to bring it to the forefront.