Remembering their sacrifices

     "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends." (John 15:13)

     Thank You, Father, for the men and women who have given their lives over the years to secure our freedom.  On this Memorial Day, we pause to remember those countless individuals whose names we do not know but whose memories we honor and hold with profound gratitude and respect.  We cannot fathom such a sacrifice...but You can, Lord Jesus.  Thank You for being our ultimate Warrior-Savior and laying down Your life so that we might be free forever.
     I just read this quote from Rick Atchley: "May we all recommit today to being good stewards of 'free,' because it's very expensive."
     Forgive me, Lord, for how often I take that glorious freedom for granted--freedom purchased for me as a citizen of this great nation by the precious blood of brave men and women...and freedom secured for me as a redeemed child of God with the incalculable worth of the blood of my sinless Savior.  Free to us...but so infinitely costly to Him who bore all our sin, shame, and guilt.
     Freedom is most definitely never free.  It always comes at the cost of great and lasting sacrifice.  Might we all spend some time this day pondering--with great humility and profound thanksgiving--the sacrifices of those in our armed services as well as that of our Savior.  They gave all that they had in order that we could enjoy all the blessings of freedom.  Might we be "good stewards" of that infinitely costly freedom by the way that we live this, and every, day.
     I've shared this before, but my daddy served as the gunnery officer on a destroyer for all four years of World War II.  His destroyer was involved in the heaviest of action in the Atlantic and the Pacific, and he lost innumerable friends during that war.  After daddy's death about 13 years ago, our family found the bronze star he earned in that war in a most curious place--in his sock drawer.  As my brother shared at daddy's funeral, this was so that every single day of his life, when daddy opened that drawer to put on his socks, he would be reminded of the ultimate sacrifice paid by so many of his comrades and friends in the war.  They would never come home and live their lives, raise a family, make their mark in the world.  But God had given daddy that opportunity.  My dad did not want to forget--even for a single day--so that he might live each day in such a way as to bring honor to their memory and glory to His Heavenly Father.  And he did.  Oh my, he did.  
     Daddy never forgot...not even for a day.  Might we never, ever forget either...and live each day God chooses to give us to His glory and for His honor...for our Lord is infinitely worthy.
     To God be the glory.