Freedom…at what price?

Today is Independence Day in the United States. Most will take the day off, have cook-outs, watch baseball games, spend time with family and friends. All good. But there might be more to reflect on, even briefly on this day.

…never to be called a veteran.

I was moved to tears recently as I watched a television special honoring those who have died serving the USA in times of war. It was very emotional, as actors read the first-person accounts of those who had suffered loss due to war. Some were soldiers who watched friends around them die at the hands of the enemy. Others were family members telling of a son who, though understanding the potential of death, served their nation, and never returned…never to be called a veteran.

The Viet Nam era was the time I served in the US Air Force, though far from the battlefield. I have walked the length of the Viet Nam War Memorial Wall that lists the names of those who died in that war…finding the names of friends from church, college, and my Air Force training days. I can’t talk while I am there. Tears flow. These men and women paid a high price. And I am a beneficiary of their sacrifice.

In past years, I have been in other countries as they marked their special days. I’ve seen the old soldiers in their uniforms stand at attention as the parade passed by, mustering a salute to their nation’s flag as it fluttered in the breeze. Moving. Freedom always has a price. Usually, it is the highest price…the ultimate sacrifice. The phrase we often use in remembering those who have secured our freedom with their lives is that they “…gave their last full measure of devotion“.

It is easy to take the step into the spiritual realm, isn’t it? An ongoing war with Satan and his evil designs. Christ, the ultimate sacrifice, securing our eternal freedom at great cost. But His death on the cross was not the “…last full measure of devotion”. Jesus’ resurrection means He forever lives to secure our freedom, not just in one battle or one war, but for all time and eternity.

[blockquote author=”Ephesians 1:7″ link=”” target=”_blank”]He [God] is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.[/blockquote]