Memorial Day - Pt. 1

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. (Galatians 5:13-15 ESV).

 

This holiday weekend we celebrate something that is often difficult for many of us to comprehend. The sacrifice of soldiers' lives for the sake of our freedom is a difficult concept to truly grasp. Over the years I've heard many conflicted views on this matter; however, I think it would be a mistake to see these brave men and women as merely victims. While each fallen soldier has a unique story, each soldier is a hero who laid down their life for a greater cause. At least a part of this struggle to understand comes with our difficulty in accepting sacrifice, especially when a sacrifice seems so final and appears to hold no obvious reward. The idea that anyone could give up everything - for people he doesn't even know - is hard to process. We spend so much of life trying to gain, to acquire, to win. Our country is home to the American Dream, the land of opportunity. So contemplating the fallen solider can feel uncomfortable, even confusing.

 

The perfect example has been given to us in the sacrificial love of Jesus. We often thank Him with our words, but do little to change our lives. Yet this is what God desires of us. Just as sacrifice is required to secure our freedom as Americans, freedom does not exist independently of sacrifice in the life of the believer. Yes, the gift of faith brings us freedom from sin, freedom to be who God made us to be, and freedom to know God more deeply. But that freedom came with the price of the Cross.

 

It may seem pointless in some ways to acquire freedom only to turn around and serve. But two thoughts come to mind here. First, we see that the free person who chooses to serve knows freedom unlike any other. He has no need of taking from others because his sense of worth comes from a higher source. The second is a truth equally vital: this life is nothing compared to the next. Anything we "lose" here is never truly lost if our lives belong to Christ. No wonder Jesus told his disciples “the last will be first, and the first will be last (Matthew 20:16). Use this holiday weekend to both honor those who have served so greatly and to grow your servant's heart. Strive to take last place at least once this weekend, even if it's as simple as being last in line at the grocery store or serving yourself last at the dinner table.