There is an old hymn, that you might have sung, in which the song writer notes, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. . . .” We do so quickly forget and devalue the great things we have been given. From ancient times civic leaders have been wise to erect memorials to citizens who have sacrificed or done great things for their countries.
And so do we. It is sobering to walk among the graves at Arlington National Cemetery, or read the names on the Vietnam Memorial, or sit quietly at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and to recall that our freedoms and prosperity have come at a great price. It is even more striking when you consider that those who paid the greatest price were robbed of the blessings they so willingly died to secure. For us to be ungrateful would be the height of arrogance, as if we deserve their sacrifice!
We often wonder why God allows the tragedies of war, when so many of the nation’s best go away and never come home again. It may be that the sacrifices of young men, who are just reaching adulthood and have so much to look forward to, are the closest human proximation to the sacrifice of the greatest Son, who gave all to bring liberty to those who believe! It is to our shame that Jesus Christ, the day before His trial and execution, had to institute what we call communion, or “The Lord’s Table” for the primary purpose of reminding us of Him and of His sacrifice. We are so prone to forget!
Sadly, most of us think of furniture sales and cookouts whenever the Memorial Day weekend comes around; but we ought to rethink how we spend that time. No, l am not saying we shouldn’t get together with family and friends to enjoy the blessings of liberty and prosperity, but we would do well to also remind ourselves and our children of the scarcity and the high price of liberty.
Most people, through approximately six thousand years of human history, have lived under the thumb of one tyrant or another. They were called kings, emperors, Pharaohs, Comrades, or something of the like. While the titles changed, the lives of average citizens living under their rule could be described generally as somewhere between difficult and soul crushing. We Americans, on the other hand, have been uniquely blessed from our founding, and while some have not shared fully at the table, the best solution to that failure is not to push everyone else from the table, but rather, expand the table so that all may participate. No good person would say (as Leftists declare) that since all have not been equally blessed, no one should be blessed at all!
So, what is it that we celebrate on Memorial Day? Why should we take time to focus on what most Americans have come to think of as normal living? We celebrate liberty because it is so rare and costly, but also because it is the condition we were created to enjoy. One might say that it is like water for fish, or air for birds. God’s design for mankind was, from the beginning, to be a life of doing whatever we wanted!
In Genesis chapters one and two we discover God creating Adam and Eve and giving them liberty to do anything they wished, except to eat from that one tree. Talk about freedom! No other humans have ever lived with such minimal restrictions. It was truly paradise! The fact that they lost it by rebelling does not diminish the truth that it was God’s intention that we be free. Such is the way of love. You want those you love to be free.
The United States’s Founders, guided by biblical principles, and controlled by strong personal discipline, created a nation that was closer to God’s ideal than any other nation in history. How many immigrants, fleeing oppression elsewhere and arriving here with nothing, but investing energy and talent, have found themselves exclaiming, “America! What a country!”
What a country, indeed!
But one can only be allowed to do whatever he desires to do, if his desires are good. And thus, the tragic human contradiction. We want to be free to “follow our heart,” but we constantly butt heads with others who also seek to follow their hearts. Conflict is the story of mankind, and it is the reason behind the day we are considering: Memorial Day. Conflict between nations led by tyrants following their own heart’s desire to conquer, and countries that do not wish to be conquered has been raging from time immemorial.
If you feel compelled to be angry, be angry at those who, for their own grandiose ambitions, send their nation’s youth to slaughter another nation’s youth. Be angry with them, not the country that was forced to defend itself. No, be grateful that so many bright and generous young people from your neighborhood and city took it upon themselves to protect you and your family from tyranny!
And thank God, who in His sovereign grace provided that a nation so great and free should survive as long as it has, in spite of enemies within and without.
Liberty is fragile. It is dependent upon citizens understanding history, appreciating liberty, willing to correct the wrongs, be patient in the process, and discipline themselves to “know the truth” and obey it. Jesus told us that “the truth will set you free.” And so it is. In reality, living by truth, God’s truth, is the only pathway to liberty.
This Memorial Day, take these principles to heart. Get to know God and His principles through His Word. Trust Him to keep His Word, and thank Him for what He has sacrificed to provide you forgiveness, and for what so many brave Americans have sacrificed so that you might be free and live free!
