On this Memorial Day, it is hard to fathom the hundreds of thousands of brave soldiers who have given their lives on the battlefield during the history of our country. War is ugly. Young men and women dying for their country, whether the cause is just or not, is tragic. Lost lives. Broken families. Shattered dreams …changed forever.
So first of all, thank you to all of my friends who have served, and to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice of their lives. We have many freedoms here in the US and around the world because of your willingness to defend them, and freedom isn’t free.
Secondly, as tragic as all of these lost lives is, I have to wonder how many more lives would be lost both here and around the world if these same brave young men and women wouldn’t have given their all. We are far from perfect, but what would life be like today if the US didn’t exist? Would there be more dictators that rule with an iron fist and kill hundreds of thousands or millions of their own people at will? Would I be alive? Would you?
Imagine if we hadn’t won the revolutionary war? Or if the North wouldn’t have won the civil war? Or if we hadn’t won WWII and Hitler and his allies would have taken over the world? How many millions more lives would have been lost if this would have happened? I shudder to think of what that would have been like…
Finally, where do go from here? Is our republic alive and well, or are we losing our freedoms because government is no longer serving the people? Are we going to find common ground and work together, or will the divisiveness continue to separate us? Are we still the UNITED States of America?
I don’t have many answers. All I know (based on my world view), is that God is in control, and that He has a plan for all of us. We know the end of the story. For that I am thankful.
Be safe and may God Bless you.