May 30

May 30 Helping our Children Remember

Today we remember.
We help our children remember.
Lest we all forget.

We set aside time today to pause and reflect on the sacrifices made by the many men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving and protecting our country.

And there is a biblical precedence for memorials, because God knows how quick we are to forget--

"Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone...that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, 'What do those stones mean to you?' then you shall tell them that the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord...so these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever...so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever." -Joshua 4: 5,6,7&24

There are practical ways to remember...

Visit a national cemetery
Make cards or take flowers to a local VA Hospital
Read about the history of Memorial Day
Learn about proper flag etiquette
Send a care package to a serviceman or woman in active service.
Bring a meal to a family who has a member actively deployed
Spend time praying for those in active service and thanking God for those who have given their lives for our nation.

Memorial Day is also a good time to pause and reflect on the kindness that God has shown our country and to give thanks for the freedoms we still have.

"I don't have to tell you how fragile this precious gift of freedom is. Every time we hear, watch, or read the news, we are reminded that liberty is a rare commodity in this world." --Ronald Reagan

We can look back throughout history and help our children see the many ways that God has protected our nation and we can prayerfully petition Him to draw our country closer to Him in the future.

"Remembering is an act of thanksgiving, this turn of the heart over time's shoulder to see all the long way His arms have carried." -Ann Voskamp

God knows we need these reminders to remember, these memorial stones that will nudge our hearts to give thanks. We must not let this day pass by without taking time to thank God for the men and women who have given so much for--