In John 15:13, Jesus said, "The greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends."
As great as that kind of love is, imagine laying down your life for someone you don't even know – indeed, someone not even from your own country.
American soldiers, sailors, pilots and marines have been doing just that for the entire history of this nation. They have exhibited the selfless love of Jesus, who laid down his life to confront and defeat monstrous evil. For this reason, Christians can observe Memorial Day with an extra layer of understanding and gratitude for what has been done to keep us free.
In his song "Arlington," Trace Adkins sings the lines, "every time I hear 21 guns, I know they brought another hero home to us." That's worth thinking about.
Sometime during the next few days – in the middle of the barbecues, rounds of golf, family gatherings and the other activities that make up a holiday weekend – take time to reflect and say "thank you" to our fallen ones. And pray for God's protecting and guiding hand on those who are serving today (including my nephew David Johnson in Tikrit and a young man from my hometown named Peter Fritz who is in Baghdad and has seen some very rough stuff lately).
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