Monday, May 25, 2015

Honoring Our Defenders


On this day in May each year, we are often just chilling, relaxing, partying, etc.

But, this holiday was not really meant to just be a day off from work. There is nothing wrong with having the day off you see but there is simply something deeper that needs to happen on this day. Something like appreciation. Something like thankfulness.

For this freedom we enjoy did not just miraculously appear one day. It didn’t just sprout from out of nothing. It was bought with the precious blood of our grandfathers, fathers, brothers, husbands, and friends. And even in more recent years it has come from the blood of our grandmothers, mothers, and sisters as well.  

And, whether you carry a sense of national pride or not, you bear witness to and live within the hard won freedoms that we all often take for granted.

You may within the right of your freedom of speech, dishonor both the living and the dead by the calloused and ignorant things you say regarding our war heroes but just understand that your right to speak evil was bought and is not an entitlement!

If we are not careful, we could lose these precious rights we so often take for granted.

When we do not place the proper value and importance on the good things within our nationalism, then we may ultimately lose them as they become diluted by the evils within globalism and humanism.

I fear for the younger generations of our great country because many of them simply don’t see through the examples of civilizations gone and dead that it is all too easy to become arrogant, complacent, and tolerant of all sorts of evil.

You may wake up one day just to find Rome burning…

And I for one believe that despite the fact that I don’t buy into this country as being a “Christian” nation, we do have much in our past to be proud of. Many of our countries fathers may have in fact been Christ followers, but our country has followed its own way enough times that it is foolish to wave the Christian flag over it and act as if our existence is divinely ordained.

So, you may ask, if we are not a Christian nation then how is it that so many of us want to constantly call upon God to bless America? It is simply this: we call upon God to bless us since much of the time in the last 100 years or so we have been one of the only countries with enough audacity to stick our necks out and defend the rights and lives of the downtrodden. How many other countries reach out to protect the rights of women, children, and the voiceless poor? Sometimes our motives may not be perfect, but who else is really trying to stand against the vile tide that is ISIS/ISIL?

People within and without this country may criticize America, but I tell you, where will the world go without us?

I will close with the following:

1)      There is absolute truth whether you believe it or not. And, whether we uphold this to be true or not, then as God has indicated humanity has a date with destiny, a date with its own demise and His rightful judgement.
2)      There is absolute evil. It is found in the self-centered worship of the almighty me/mine. (and I believe it is most currently demonstrated in the full flowering of the true infidels of humankind (currently seen vividly in ISIS/ISIL)). When there becomes in any one person or society a total disregard for the value and sacredness of human life, therein is found the heart of hell itself!
3)      Thank God for each and every day that he blesses you with life and breath, for each day grants us a new chance to demonstrate His love to a desperate and dying world.
4)      Guard your mind, heart, and tongue and understand to do this requires that you ask for God’s help as I can assure you that you cannot do these things without His intervention daily.
5)      Love others in the same way you long for while keeping in mind that God loved us “while we were yet sinners.”

Lastly, again, let’s remember this day and every chance we think about it going forward to pray for and encourage those who have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice themselves to ensure our freedoms. Do not waste a chance to honor our service men and women at every opportunity that presents itself.

Pray for all of our returning vets and defend their rights to ethical and fair treatment as they work on re-integrating back into society after deployment. It should be a great shame to us that so many of them do not receive the healthcare or benefits they need to overcome the very real after effects of combat (PTSD to name one).

Thank a soldier today!

Sincerely,

Mike Meehan
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