I hope you’re able to see
the poster accompanying this blog post. It’s a wonderful photograph of a servicewoman
in camouflage hugging her daughter with tears streaming down her face. The caption reads, “If there must be trouble,
let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.”
What a powerful reminder
of the spirit that, at its finest, motivates our armed forces. We all want
peace. We want it for ourselves and for
future generations. It’s one of the hard
realities that the desire for peace often seems to mean we have no choice but
to take up arms. While people can
disagree on how to respond to that desire and choice, there should be no doubt
that the dream of peace – especially in a volunteer
military – compels our service personnel today.
The poster also
reflects the driving force behind the sacrifice of Jesus. I can easily see Jesus here, embracing any one of us children, tears streaming down his face, wanting only our
welfare and our peace. I can see him saying, “Take me, that my children might
live in peace.”
I do hear him saying that –
from the Garden and the cross. That is what He did. This is the meaning of sacrifice.
This weekend we thank God
for that spirit of sacrificial love that is ours in Jesus Christ. We thank God for that spirit motivating our
service personnel and our veterans. We thank God for anyone who receives and
honors and acts on the spirit that calls us to loving sacrifice:
“If there must be trouble,
let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.”
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