Lest We Forget

Has there ever been a time that you had forgotten something important? You were headed out of town for some type of business meeting and you couldn't find your wallet or some written forms you needed for the trip. That can be quite embarrassing. As humans we are very prone to forget things on a daily basis. Whether it be small or large, we do tend to forget what we need. That's nothing compared to things we as a nation forget. Consequently, it's tragic when we forget as a country where we came from and those that have sacrificed on our behalf in past generations so we can enjoy the freedoms that we do today.

I like the song "Statute of Liberty" that I've heard the Cathedrals sing before. They pay tribute to the statute of liberty and then later they pay tribute to Jesus dying on Golgatha's hill. The freedoms we have as a country have been paid for by the blood of those soldiers out on the battlefield from the Revolutionary War to the present wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's easy to become misty-eyed when you think about the Civil War and how our country was torn apart fighting each other. I've been greatly moved when I've seen a picture of General Robert E. Lee surrendering to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia. It's aweing to see men of such stature like that fighting for our country's freedom.

I also become misty-eyed when I think of World War II and all those young soldiers fighting in Europe and in the Pacific Theater trying to fight the forces of tyranny around the world. I think of the bloody battle of Iwo Jima that was fought in February 1945 and the U.S. troops hoisting up the American flag in that momentous scene. What bravery and what sacrifice! When you see the graves of soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery it's a reminder of the cost to not only obtain freedom but to maintain it. We must be vigilant. We can always lose our freedoms and lose America as we know it.

One time a few years ago I saw a little poem in the U.S. post office in the town I live and it was giving tribute to the soldier. It said it was the soldier that gave us the right to free speech, the right to protest, and sadly, even the right to burn the U.S. flag. It was the shedding of blood that gave us our freedom. It was the blood that was spilled on the battleground by our soldiers that we have the right to worship God freely and to not be suppressed by tyranny. We have been truly blessed as a nation!

When thinking of America I have to go back in time 2000 years ago to Golgatha's hill where Jesus hung on the cross to shed his blood for the sins of mankind. That was what paid the ransom for sin and through that man could live and breathe in freedom. He wasn't bound by the chains of sin no more. The sacrifice Jesus paid on Calvary is why we can stand as a nation in freedom today. The blood of Jesus paved the way for there to be an America nearly 1800 years later. There's something about the shedding of blood that's pleasing in God's sight. Evidently it must be that since sin is so horrible, that's the only sacrifice that would be sufficient. When you read about blood sacrifices in the Old Testament, it started before the dispensation of the law. You read about Abel offering a lamb as a sacrifice before God and how God was pleased with it. There's something about the shedding of blood that's precious before God's eyes.

As we celebrate Independence Day tomorrow, let's remember the price that was paid at Calvary 2000 years ago as well as the sacrifices by our soldiers from the Revolutionary War until present--Lest we forget!