This morning as I pray and think about the many, many veterans across this great nation, I can’t help but think about the prodigal son also. Many young men and women, still ‘wet behind the ears’, join the military for different reasons. They go through boot camp, with many long days of marching, drilling, doing seemingly insane things in preparation for their next step. Many go on to specialized training, many more go to the “field”; whether it be the desert, the jungle, a ship, submarine, or an air field. Parents, much like the father of the prodigal son, watch for word from them every day, praying for their safety, for them to come home soon, eager to celebrate their return. They may have went away young, naive, and eager, but they come home a veteran, whether they were involved directly in military conflict or supported the effort from afar, they are not the same child that left some years ago! In the parable of the prodigal son, the father was not concerned with what his son had done, how his life while away had affected him, or whether he returned ‘whole’ or not – he rejoiced in the restoration of father and son and celebrated the fellowship of family! In today’s conflicts and battles, not everyone returns home whole, some missing limbs with physical wounds, and many with mental wounds. Some return home to family that rejoice and welcome no matter what; many return home empty with little celebration. As a nation, we need to not only pray for but remember our veterans, thanking them and welcoming them with the same graciousness of the father for his son, overshadowing the evils of war with the goodness that brings healing. Over the many years of this Countries life, many men and women, patriots, have laid their life on the line for the freedoms and liberties so many take for granted today! Our troops have always served our country with dedication. They fought in major conflicts, including World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, the cold war, the Gulf War, and the Iraq and Afghan Wars. They fought in smaller actions around the world, such as Somalia, Bosnia, and Grenada. But just as in the older son disliked the celebration of the returning son and never realized or utilized the blessings at his disposal from his father, there are those that have disdain for the military, never giving thought to their freedom to think the way they think and demonstrate the way they do came at the expense of the ones they oppose. Veterans deserve our prayers and thanks not only on Veterans Day but every day of the year. Please take the time to thank the many veterans from the many conflicts that have kept us in the land of the free and the home of the brave! The parable of the prodigal son is a picture of God’s Grace and Mercy for us all, the picture of the father receiving the son back into relationship is a picture of how we should respond to not only veterans but those who oppose this great nation and the freedoms it stands for! Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 10:03:29 +0000
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