This picture convicts my heart bigtime today.
How many years have I let this holiday pass without giving much thought to the real reason to why we get Monday off at the end of every May? Many years. More years than I want to admit to you.
This picture displays the harsh reality of the "holiday". See, I even feel guilty calling it a holiday when I look at this. Wives are husbandless, husbands are wiveless and children are fatherless or motherless because of those who put their life in harm's way so that we can live without having to think twice about our freedom in this country.
Im convicted because I dont often think about the blessing that I live in every day because of what these men and women have died for. One easy example would be that I can post this blog, full of my heart's openness with absolutely no fear of what someone might think. I dont worry about being arrested or even worse because of my public display of faith. Praise God.
We can go to college, we can find a job, we can accomplish basically whatever our heart's desire. There's no question in my mind that we have the freedom now to accomplish all of these things and much more. Imagine with me for a moment how different our lives would be without this freedom. Imagine having the dream of becoming something that everyone told you would never happen. Imagine living within the confines of what others told you was acceptable. Imagine being sold in slavery and taken away from your loved ones and everything that you know.
I lift my head, raise my hands and give thanks today for the gift of freedom that we have been given. I thank God for those men and women who are not here today to enjoy what all they have laid down their lives for. I am incredibly grateful, but also know that the job is not finished. Injustice is all around us: we live in a world where too many children will go to bed starving tonight, sex trafficking is currently victimizing 27 million and slavery is still a true story.
I know that many more innocent lives will be taken in order for these sort of kingdom-sized changes to be made. That's the honest reality of the phrase "freedom isnt free". But I am thankful to God for those who's holy discontent include these injustices to the point of action; for those who are not willing to settle until something is changed even if that means their lives are at risk. The heart condition of bold faith that these folks share is beautiful and admirable to me. I raise my glass to them today.
Happy Memorial Day!
Kathryn
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