To those of us that live inside the United States, we need to be a little more grateful than most folks around the world. There isn't an American alive today that has witnessed the ravages of war on our own homeland. On the contrary, there does exist a plethora of wartime veterans that survived the harrows of war abroad, and to that particular group of veterans may I say a tremendous "Thank You" to each man and woman that has served our country during times of war. We could never repay you for the sacrifice you made, nor the ultimate sacrifice that so many made on foreign soil. To even attempt to imagine the horror of being cast into a battle where bullets and bombs are going off around you and the comrade to your side was just killed is ludicrous, but with the technological advances that the audio/visual industry has made over the past several years we can get a tiny glimpse into what it must have been like to have fought in any of the wars such as World War I, World War II, the Vietnam or Korean Wars, or the more recent Gulf War and numerous conflicts in other sections of the Middle East. Standing on the front line, knowing there was a strong possibility that a bullet could very well be headed in your direction as you take your next step out of a foxhole, or around the corner of the building definitely takes more courage than I believe I could muster. Thank you will never be enough, but thank you for your service to this great country.
The front line of a battle is something I cannot even begin to imagine. Books and movies attempt to reenact the horror these brave souls encountered, but my mind tells me that the attempt is futile regardless of the intent to recreate these types of scenes in words or visual attempts. Fighting on the front line is probably the most sacrificial example of service that a person can make due to the fact that the odds of survival are always tilted in the direction that most of us would not choose to take. Yet, American soldiers dedicated and diligent in service did so because they believed that their sacrifice served a much bigger purpose than self. Those that have fought on the front lines did so because they desired to see their children and their children's children live a life of freedom in this grand country. To those that fought on the front lines of a war, thank you.
As previously mentioned we are fortunate to not have had an actual war on American soil since the Civil War 1861-1865, but there is a war that exists on our fertile soil here in these United States of America. This war has been waging since the dawn of man when Adam and Eve encountered evil in the Garden of Eden, a war that includes the battles men and women have fought down through history. The war between good and evil, right and wrong encircles our American way of life, and it permeates the entire globe with no exceptions made for man, woman, or child. The battle is real and the front lines are much closer to each of us than you may want to admit.
Are you willing to go to the front lines of this war? Daily you are faced with that decision. Regardless of whether you consciously realize it or not, we are engulfed in the battle between good and evil daily. Are you ready to do that kind of battle each day? If so you need to know who your real enemy is. In the Book of Ephesians Paul clearly identifies our enemy. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:12. It isn't the Democrats or Republicans who should be enemies, it is not a battle between peoples with differing tones of skin color or geographic area of origin, (By the way, there isn't a person who is black or white, we are all just a little different shade of brown. Just saying), no the battle as Paul points out is against dark powers and evil spiritual forces. I would go as far as to suggest that the inward fighting that is so prevalent in the United States and other countries around the world is directly being choregraphed by those dark powers that creep into people's minds and thoughts. Yes, we have to own the thoughts and choices we make, and the truth of the matter is we have the ability to choose good over evil, we can choose to follow the status quo and fall in line for bickering about the right and the left, or we can follow the example of the one man who taught us to love our neighbor, and fight for right over might.
Jesus abhorred evil, there are written accounts throughout the Gospels demonstrating his disdain for the evil of this world. Yet again and again, Jesus loved those that hated Him. He prayed for them and showed them a love that they did not recognize. Even after being tortured, beaten, made to carry His cross as a public spectacle, and finally nailed to and hung on that very same cross, what did Jesus do? He asked His Father God to forgive them because they did not know what they were doing. (Luke 23). Jesus did battle with the powers of darkness each day as He fought demon possessed men and women, healing them instead of killing them. That is important to note, why didn't Jesus just put a demon possessed man or woman to death? My Bible tells me that Jesus loved the person, but he hated the sin/evil that possessed people. That is our example. We are at war, we do battle each day, my prayer is that we as a nation, we as a world, have our eyes opened so that we see the person and not what we deem to be evil, and may our hearts be in tune with the model that Jesus provided each of us. "Love thy neighbor as thyself" Matthew 22:39 is our command, and... "Your love must be real. Hate what is evil, and hold on to what is good." Romans 12:9.
We are all on this front line and the battle is ours to wage. The good news is you will never fight the good fight alone! Our God goes before us leading the charge and fighting our battles with us and/or for us!
Coach Carter
No comments:
Post a Comment