Wounded Warriors

In the town where I work by the bank is a small veterans memorial.  On the wall it reads:

Losing your life in service to your country is not the worst thing that can happen to you; but being forgotten is.

I read that every day as I go to the bank for our company. It has been on my heart for a couple of years now. What do we do with our fallen soldiers and wounded warriors. I feel somewhat jaded here so bear with me. Our country has not given our veterans honour that is due. I mean lets face it our veteran health care is nothing like the Mayo Clinic.  It is like pulling teeth to get people to do more than attend a once a year parade for our soldiers. I can’t even imagine what the Viet Nam veterans went through when they got home.

With this thought today I am thinking the church does the same things with our wounded warriors of the faith. Those who were on the front lines paving the way into new realms of life and living. It is a painful struggle to feel ignored and or forgotten. Especially when you have laid it all on the line for others. American Christianity is become fad driven. Excitement for something that isn’t even real half of the time. I always think of everything I see in the church world today in light of those who gave all they had so we could live in the spiritual realm freely. I can’t imagine that our forefathers of the faith would be very excited to visit some of our churches today, where there is no honor to their life’s work.

Jesus said remember me! We were commissioned and to take the Eucharist (thanksgiving meal) every week as to re-member ourselves in light of Him. Forgetfulness is a God given gift. If we didn’t have it we would never overcome heartbreak and tragedy. But remembering with honor those who have served, that is YOUR gift to God.

Let’s take inventory shall we. I would venture to say not one single person reading this would be where they are today spiritually without the price paid by someone who paved a way, and invested in you. The church has lost it’s ability to love the flawed saints, to honor those who paved a way. And it could be quite possible that the ones who helped you get where they are may be flawed and even fallen from the faith. It still doesn’t change the fact that you owe so much to them for your enlightenment.

You don’t choose to forget these people; it’s a gift.
You have to choose to remember.

The word honour is translated TIME.
Take the time to give honor and respect to those who have bleed spiritually for your freedom. It pains me somewhat to hear preachers teaching things today that are acceptable to the masses: yet when I preached it 15 years ago I was slandered, ridiculed, rejected and basically shunned.

I’m writing as an old soul and father in the faith to so many; Honor your spiritual fathers and mothers this week. Write them a note, call them, or even share part of your rescources with them. Trust me this is the first command with promise. Our country will not thrive because of the evil we have rejected, and psuedo standard of goodness we pretend to stand for. It will make it and thrive due to the ability to choose to REMEMBER those who labored among us. Beloved the church is in the same shape.