It’s Memorial Day. It’s a day set aside by our country to pay homage to the men and women who have sacrificed their lives for the preservation of the ideals that this country was founded upon. Dating back to the aftermath of the Civil War, it was originally focused on remembering the lives of the soldiers that died in the preservation of this Union. Quickly expanding to all states, it is a time of reflection and a show of gratitude regarding those who selflessly put their lives on the line within our armed forces. I, like so many other Americans, have loved ones who put country and honor above all else in order to protect and defend this great nation. On this day, I indeed honor them and remember the sacrifice they made so that I could enjoy the freedoms that our Constitution affords its citizens.
Yet, on this memorial, the word “remember” looms heavy on my heart. With all of the political, social, and racial unrest that we have endured while also combating a COVID plague that has crippled our economy, isolated our inhabitants, and redefined the norms of our society, my head and heart mourn not just the loss of our brave men and woman, but also the loss of common civility. In a world where we can anonymously post our inner most thoughts and beliefs, there seems to be no sense of togetherness enjoyed and celebrated. Instead, what prevails is an “us versus them” mindset where the pluralistic ideals of our country have given way to sectarianism and a lost notion of the common good. Gone is the notion of considering “the other”. Instead everything is about what’s best for me.
This is not what I believe our country was founded upon. When the founders of this nation embarked on the great experiment they envisioned a country like none other in the world, where basic human rights would be secured and guaranteed – life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Though it took us most of our nation’s existence to realize it, all can honestly say that we are better today than we were 200+ years ago. Yet, the current environment that we are now living in has revealed that we are far from where we need to be. The senseless loss of lives in Buffalo and Uvalde in the last weeks has exposed the deep and bitter wounds of our nation. The lack of unity regarding common sense gun laws and mental health assistance are but symptoms of a greater problem that plagues us.
As I prayed and meditated on this Memorial Day, my heart asked the LORD why? Why have You brought us to this place at this time with these unresolved issues? Why have You allowed folks who were just getting groceries to be gunned down by a racist murderer? Why did You permit a crazed 18-year old to take the lives of 19 fourth graders and 2 teachers? Why are You permitting us to continue to have to endure what seems like such senseless tragedies?
As I prepared for my daily prayer for this day, Christ provided a verse to me that has helped me to make sense of this and all the challenges that we are confronted with as we navigate through life.
And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. Deuteronomy 8:2
Three things jump out at me from this passage:
God is in control.
Through His servant Moses, God reminds us by way of the Children of Israel that it was He who led them through the hardships and difficulties of the wilderness. He was the One Who was guiding and directing their paths. He, Who knows the future like the present, and the hearts and intentions of all mankind, knew what was about to confront this ragtag group of nomads, just like He knew what was going to confront the helpless victims of those shootings. With an All-Powerful, All-Knowing God Who is able to prevent such tragedies, one could quickly find no consolation in this except we remember that when they had no food and water, He fed them and provided refreshment. When they were confronted with danger He provided refuge. Like a parent who tends to the needs of their children, God has tended to their, and our needs. The Bible reminds us that He loves us with an everlasting love. So much so, that He gave His Son to die for us. He knows what is best for us. Therefore, the only consolation that we have on this Memorial Day is the knowledge that if it happened, it was for a reason.
We Must Examine Ourselves and Learn
He goes on to say, “…that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart…” There are lessons God wants us to learn. Each of these events, heinous though may be, have only one ray of hope to offer us and those who mourn: there is something that God wants us to learn about each other and about ourselves. He declared through His servant Moses that these things that He has taken us through have been for the purpose of us learning what is in our hearts. The recent trials and tribulations that have ensued following the pandemic have forced our nation to reevaluate what we hold dear and have taken for granted. Romans 8:15 declares, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” This is the call to the Church, to love as Christ loved us. Lost is our corporate empathy for one another. Instead, there prevails a mindset that asks, “What’s in it for me?” With that, is a desensitization of the tragedies plaguing the lives of our fellow travelers. The question we must ask ourselves is what does it say about us? What does it say that we no longer weep with those whose loved ones’ lives were snuffed away by an assassin’s bullets? What does it say that we are not willing to compromise and do whatever we can to protect the lives of others? It is only through deep, self examination that we can truly understand and embrace what God is trying to expose in the recesses of our psyche.
Don’t Forget
He begins all of this by saying “remember“. We as a people tend to quickly forget the pains of the past. Like a bad dream, we put those pains behind us and move on, seeking for things to get back to “normal”. As things settle down, the fervor and passion that follow the pain with calls of reform and repentance soon give way to a quietness as we seek to come back to some sense of normalcy. The perfect example of this is the senseless death of George Floyd. Following it our nation had a renewed sense of racial consciousness that had not been seen since the Civil Rights Movement. Citizens and lawmakers alike, on both sides of the aisle, joined in unison to say that things needed to change regarding policing. Though their solutions were different, their message was the same. Fast forward, the energy of 2020 is no longer there. The proverbial burning platform is slowly becoming a pile of warm embers. Soon, we will revert back to business as usual with the inroads that have been made regarding race relations slowly eroded. My point is that it is only through remembering and not forgetting can we truly rise up from the mistakes of our past and put into place true reform that will ensure that the ideals of our nation, but more importantly our God, are realized and lived out in our greater society. We are a forgetful people. Yet God, Who does not forget, urges us to be like Him in this respect – remember.
To the families that have suffered this great loss over the course of the last few weeks, my thoughts and prayers go out to you. There is nothing I or anyone can do that can ease the pain that You are experiencing. Christ alone, in my humble opinion, is your only consolation. But to those of us who, on this Memorial Day, are cooking out and enjoying our loved ones, I urge you not to forget what has happened over the course of these last weeks, do some heartfelt introspection, and hold to God’s unchanging hand because He is in control.