Talk to your kids about Memorial Day!!

If you haven't talked to your kids about Memorial Day, then here are some resources.

Memorial Day is coming soon.  It is much more than the start of summer, cook outs and social media images..I have a grandfather (deceased), father-in-law (living) and other extended family members (living and deceased) who have served in various branches of the military and I am VERY THANKFUL for each of them.

Here are two important reminders as Memorial Day approaches.

Why the government established this specific holiday:

Memorial Day, which is observed on the last Monday of May, commemorates the men and women who died while in the military service.  In observance of the holiday, many people visit cemeteries and memorials, and volunteers often place American flags on each grave site at national cemeteries.  A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3:00 p.m. local time.  www.va.gov/opa/speceven/memday/

What we need to remember each and every day:

It is my prayer that holidays like Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day will bring Christ-following Americans to their knees in prayerful thanksgiving for our country.  We need to remember what a blessing we have.

Here is an extended quote from the following post blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/justintaylor/2011/05/30/memorial-day-remembering-the-fallen-and-remembering-christ/

As we remember today, many, I’m sure, are asking themselves why these deaths have to happen? Why war? Why did my buddy die in that firefight rather than me? Their questions are understandable. I hear these questions by the very men and women I serve. Their pain elicits tears, anger, and shouts of outrage—again, understandably so. “It’s not suppose to be this way,” they cry.

Why then? Why war? Why these deaths? My answer to them is to weep with them. And to hug them and say I am so sorry. Then when the time is right, I gently explain to them how our world is broken. Our world is fractured at its foundation. And the brokenness is why there are wars. And wars exist because the world is full of rebels, not merely rebels against foreign governments and people they don’t like, but rebels primarily against a good and holy God. Like Satan, these rebels want to be number one. And so they hate and murder and vie for power—to be, well, if it were possible, in control of the universe. These rebels who wage war, then, fundamentally do it not to overpower the opponent, but to overpower God.

I ask, how can this brokenness be undone? How can the fractured foundation be repaired? The how is in a Person. The question is better posed as Who can undue and repair this bloody mess? But, before answering the Whom, I gently ask these troubled souls to be honest with themselves. Something is not right within them, either. They struggle themselves with depression, intoxication, outbursts of anger, anxiety, pride, fear, lust, and regret. The brokenness is not only in the thick of war, but in their own hearts as well. The world needs mending, but so do they.  (emphasis mine)

So on this Memorial Day I am very thankful for…
the common grace of God, the grace EVERY American experiences because they are American, because there are great, honorable Americans who have faithfully served our country, and ultimately because God is good.
the saving grace of God found in Jesus Christ and made known in the Bible, the grace those who have been saved by God through faith are living in.