Tomorrow is Veterans Day. With our military personnel deployed and in danger around the world, this day of respect comes at an opportune time. Originally it was called Armistice Day, so proclaimed by President Wilson in 1919. It was made a federal holiday in 1938 and in 1954 Congress named it Veterans Day.
Our veterans and active military personnel demonstrate love. We don’t associate the word military with the word love. Quite the opposite! What the military does seems to be the direct antithesis of love. But imagine yourself being shot at in an airplane. Imagine your ship being torpedoed. Imaging knowing that your vehicle could trigger a bomb. Whether you were drafted or enlisted, you’re putting your life on the line for others. We’re not just talking about being a good citizen and going to vote, which, of course, is a wonderful privilege. We’re talking about facing death to save others. Our veterans did that and they did that for you and me.
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Love was at work, admittedly a strange manifestation of love, when our veterans put their lives on the line. Oh, how confused is our society’s self-serving understanding of love! Love is more than romance; it is selfless service. And it shows why we thank our veterans.
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