This Memorial Day, I’m thinking about the values that make our country great. While there’s a lot of chatter about America and a growing political divide, I believe there is still much to celebrate.
I am writing this post not so much to convert you to my point of view, but rather to get you thinking about the cost paid by the men and women who died for our freedom. All the comforts of this Memorial Day weekend came at the cost of their human life.
No Other Place I’d Want to Live
To be absolutely clear, there is no other place in the world that I would want to live but the United States. I also pray that my friends in other countries would think the same about their home country. I believe that no place is perfect. Again, having said that, here are some of the values that make America a different (and in my humble opinion, better) kind of place.
While this list of core American values isn’t intended to be exhaustive, I think of these principles most when reflecting on what our fallen heroes fought to protect. Remembering these fundamental values and those who gave their lives defending them is what Memorial Day is truly about.
Sacrificial Service
America is at its best when we live out our sacrificial service value. The most striking example of this, in my opinion, is the Omaha Beach landing in World War II. Twice, I have stood on that beach pondering the courage of the men who came ashore on June 6, 1944. The only possible explanation for being willing to do what they did is that of sacrificial service. While exact numbers are difficult to come by, approximately 2,400 casualties occurred out of 34,000 troop landings. Yet, these sacrifices led to the end of the European War less than a year later.
Both times I visited Omaha Beach, I also visited the American Cemetery at Normandy. Words cannot describe the emotion that came with those visits — it’s where the idea of sacrificial service moves from the head to the heart. Want to know what it means to be an American? Walk those graves and you will know.
Patriotism
Patriotism is the love and devotion one has to their country. It is the feeling that most of us get on July 3 or 4th when we hear traditional music while watching a fireworks show. It is a healthy view, similar to the healthy view one has of their family.
When I think of our servicemen and women and their patriotism, I often think of the Tuskegee Airmen who served even though they often faced racial discrimination at home. Their heroic service led to President Harry Truman issuing Executive Order 9981 desegregating the U.S. Armed Forces and mandating equality of opportunity and treatment on July 26, 1948. Their sacrificial service and love of (an imperfect) country are instructive to us all.
Freedom
My favorite thing about our country, and what makes it great, is its pursuit of freedom. As the example above of the Tuskegee Airmen indicates, this pursuit is always a work in progress. It is never something one arrives at.
One of the most striking aspects of contemporary American culture is its political divisiveness.
Quite frankly, it tires me out. Yet, simultaneously, I realize that the ability to express one’s political differences is part of what makes America great in the first place! So while I would prefer we dampen down the political stuff in pop culture, sports, and even the business world, I also recognize that in America, it is part of what makes us free. In fact, I can use my freedom by turning off movies, sporting events, and media that over-politicize things. Feel free to turn me off as well.
That is your freedom!
A Reminder
I will end with a recommendation and a reminder:
Ken Burns has done remarkable work on a variety of documentaries. As the examples above indicate, I am a student of World War II. Burns’ documentary The War is absolutely breathtaking, convicting, and inspiring. I give it my full recommendation.
And one last reminder.
Those of us who follow Jesus are to remember that our love of country cannot become an ultimate thing. We can have love and devotion to our country so long as we bow to Jesus and God’s word.
While we love our temporary home in our home country, our heart’s truest longing is for the eternal Kingdom of God, where sickness, death, and evil will be forever defeated. And where there will no longer be any political divisions, war, or death.
Until then, let us live, love, and remember what is good. And let us give thanks this Memorial Day to the families that have paid the price for us to do everything we do.