Freedom Is Never Free

Veteran's Day always reminds us of the conflicts of the past and present. Recently, I was invited by my granddaughter Jaylah, (she's in the third grade) to come to her school for a Veteran's Day assembly.  There was a special section reserved just for Veterans and fortunately for me, from where I was sitting; my granddaughter and I were able to make eye contact; which we did several times during the next hour as they honored all the Veterans who had previously served in the military or who were currently serving.  Jaylah was so excited because she knew that at some point in the ceremony I would not only be receiving a carnation honoring me as a Veteran; but that a picture of me taken in my Air Force uniform would be shown to the entire student body in a slide show.  So as soon as my picture came up on the screen she looked over at me to make sure I also saw it and then gave me a BIG smile! 

 

I so enjoyed their presentation as they sang and shared the history of Veteran's Day. Each man or woman who served, whether in the Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, or Marines; was asked to stand to their feet so they could be honored in front of everyone. I'll be honest with you, even though I haven't been in the military for decades, it felt good to be honored and appreciated for my service. I actually got a little emotional!

 

At the end of the ceremony as they were thanking all of the Veterans for coming and for serving the emcee said, "If it wasn't for your sacrifice we wouldn't have the freedom we have today."  It occurred to me once again that freedom is never free - EVER. It always takes the sacrifice of an individual or a group of people who are willing to pay the price - sometimes even the ultimate price - with their lives. It felt good to hear someone say, "Thank You." 

Later, after I left the gym, I thought to myself, I bet God loves it when we take the time to tell Him "Thank You" too.  After all, if He hadn't been willing to give the ultimate sacrifice for us, as Christians, we wouldn't enjoy the freedom that we have in Jesus Christ. Freedom from guilt, freedom from worry; living life with purpose; and knowing that our eternal destiny has been secured for us.

 

Just as I felt honored by a simple show of appreciation, I think God feels honored when we do the same. If you haven't taken the time to express your love for what Jesus did for you by giving his life; why not start today with a single "Thank You" .

 

~ Pastor Dave

Reflection & Relaxation….it’s a Choice!

Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is to relax and refresh our spirits. Our bodies were not meant to Go, Go, Go, without times of reflection and rest. Unfortunately, this is one of the things we often fail to do . . . especially pastors! How will everything get done? Who’s going to answer all the questions that need attention? How will everything run smoothly if I’m not there? I have found that I can get so busy planning and doing church work that it's all I think about (even when I’m trying to rest). So . . . what do you do? For my peace of mind I've learned that I have to intentionally plan frequent getaways, whether it’s a day trip or several days of vacation time, but I need to take the time to just slow down and refresh my body and spirit.

 

Recently, Cathy and I took a trip to Arizona for eleven days. Now I don’t know if you’re like me, but it took me almost two full days to realize I was actually on vacation before I finally started to relax. One thing I did differently on this trip was I decided not to take my laptop with me! I knew this would force me to concentrate on just enjoying my time away. IT WAS GREAT!  I was able to get some badly needed rest and I SO ENJOYED being able to just have downtime. We spent some incredible days with my 92 year old father in-law; (talking about the good old days); I went to a couple of Spring Training Games with my brother-in-law;  we spent time at the pool enjoying the sunshine and working on our much wanted tans; we read; we took evening walks; we sat outside each morning in the warm sun and drank our coffee listening to the sounds of birds chirping. We rested. I choose not do any ministry work; I choose not to get on my smart phone and check in everyday to the office; and most importantly, I made a conscious decision to trust that God was more than capable of taking care of things while I was away . . . after all - it is HIS church.

 

So . . . no matter what your profession; for your own health of mind and body . . . choose to get away as often as you can; choose to not take work with you; choose to trust in God's ability to handle things while your gone; and choose to enjoy the time you have simply relaxing and getting some needed rest!  It's amazing how good you will feel!

 

Pastor Dave