Today is Veterans Day.  A day in which we nationally recognize anyone who has served in the military at any time in the country’s history.  Whether they have fought and died or fought and live with the memories of their experiences, today we salute them all.
Maybe you know someone who has fought and died.  Maybe you know someone who fought and lived.  Maybe you are the someone who fought.  And to those of you who have and will read this…thank you.  So much.  I am forever grateful to you for your sacrifice and willingness to fight for the freedoms of this country.
I had a conversation the other day with someone I’ve gotten to know recently who served in the Marine Corps.  He and I were discussing the sacrifices service men and women make.  Not just for the people that they know and love but also for those who they don’t even know exist.  In order that we gained and continue to enjoy the many freedoms afforded to us in this country.
It was during this particular conversation that I realized a parallel.  Between their sacrifices and the sacrifice of Christ’s death on the Cross.  He made the greatest sacrifice in all of human history in that moment.  So that again, we may know freedom and be forgiven our sins.  Service men and women have sacrificed time, energy, love, talent and their lives for our freedoms.
Most people will take the time to thank soldiers, retired and active, for their service today.  Most people won’t take the time to thank Christ for His sacrifice, today or any other day for that matter.  While it is important to acknowledge the sacrifice of our service men and women, I feel like thanking Christ for His sacrifice is that much more important.  We could thank Jesus for the sacrifices made by the service men and women.  “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” – 1 John 3:16