A long weekend…R&R

Reflection & Rejoicing

This world is not what it was meant to be
All this pain, all this suffering
There's a better place waiting for me
In Heaven

Every tear will be wiped away
Every sorrow and sin erased
We'll dance on seas of amazing grace
In Heaven
Chris Tomlin - Home

Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. (Paraphrased from history.com)

When thinking of Memorial weekend, I cannot help but think how grateful I am for the men and women who fought and died for the freedoms we have and how their time on earth was often cut short, but their lives, perhaps while not long, were not without purpose. They fought for the very freedoms one would assume they believed in, but also for the freedoms they wanted for everyone else, even those of us they would likely never know. They were each passing through this life, each with a purpose, and a commission to fulfill their assigned mission.

While I don’t know the majority of the men and women or their families who sacrificed for the freedoms I get to experience today, those very people passing through this world made a positive impact on my life, the lives of those I love, and the lives of all Americans. While it would be really something to know each of their names, I don’t have to know each one by name to recognize, remember, and be grateful for each of them, their sacrifice, and the sacrifices of their families.

photo by Greg Bulla @gregbulla

This weekend is set aside for us to remember, to reflect, and to rejoice on sacrifices made that give us the freedoms we have in this great country, The United States of America, but to also remember that all of us are just passing through, and there was once a greater sacrifice made that offers salvation/saving to ALL people of this world. That sacrifice offers freedom over sin and death, and those of us passing through this world are called to share this news!

If you’ve read my previous writings you know by now, this world is not our home. I write about it often because it’s one of God’s many truths told throughout scripture. You have also heard me say, that we are actually living, “between two gardens,” as Lysa Terkeurst, author of, It’s Not Supposed to be This Way, describes our lives. Reality is, we are living between The Garden of Eden, that was in the beginning, and the Heavenly Eden, that is to come.

The Garden of Eden was God’s earthly, initial home for His children. It was perfect, without pain or sorrow or death, until it was ruined through the enemy, Satan, and the decisions of Adam and Eve. Due to their fall, we all became sojourners, destined to wander this earth, never feeling at home. If you ever wonder why nothing every truly, fully satisfies you, this is why. Nothing ever will on this side of heaven.

The future garden is another perfect garden, but this time it is to be a heavenly Eden. This is the garden Christians will experience upon Jesus’ return and all hungers will be satisfied, all thirsts will be permanently quenched, and all pain and suffering, sadness and tears will be no more .

photo by Johen Redman @johenredman

We all are painfully aware that we currently live in an imperfect world. We are mere sojourners here, traveling between the original perfect garden and the new heavenly garden we anticipate will one day be established, but while traveling between the two gardens, we will be held accountable for exactly how we spend our days in this imperfect world.

Between time, or gardens, we are called to be the light in this dark world. We are called to remember this world is not our home, and as we anticipate our heavenly home, we are to share the gospel with all we know, also telling them, that this place where we roam about, where we are all just travelers passing through, this is not where our souls will spend eternity.

We all are sojourners.

Like the men and women who left their homes and what was familiar to go where they had to go and do what they had to do to fight so we can be free, as Christian sojourners, living between the two gardens, we too are called to leave the safe and familiar to share the gospel and be the light of Christ, knowing that our journey in this garden is not our final destination, but keeping our eye on the prize, the heavenly Eden, and travel down any road at any cost.

What we do for our careers may not impact a single soul, but how we live absolutely can change everything for the eternal lives of others and which garden they will spend eternity in.

Something to consider: When you reflect on your life and the freedoms you have, do you think about the sacrifices made for those blessings? When you have a long weekend like this, do you rejoice over all you have because of what others were willing to sacrifice, or is it just a long weekend off work? Do you share those reflections and gratitude with your children or others? Do you pray for those who paid such a high price? Will you take time today to thank God for their sacrifice and that of their family, but will you also praise God that you get to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave? Most importantly will you give God glory because of His ultimate sacrifice that offers Freedom to ALL?