Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
Over the last few weeks, I have been thinking about Remembrance Day and all it means to us. One of my biggest thoughts has been how brave our men and woman are who serve. They willingly go into dangerous war zones where they will come into contact with the "enemy" and line of fire and the possibility of being shot and killed. To me, that sounds terrifying. So to me, it takes a special breed of people who are willing to serve our country in battle knowing that they may not come home.
I was listening to a podcast the other day and they mentioned Joshua 1:9 and I thought this verse perfectly describes our men and woman in uniform. They are also being godly examples of who and what God has called us to be and do as believers. I know not all believers are called to be soldiers and for which I am grateful. Nonetheless, we are called to be strong and courageous in our own lives.
I saw a post on Facebook on Remembrance day from one vet to another reminding their fellow military friends that Remembrance Day can be hard for them and reminded them that it could be a trigger for them. It was a thought I hadn't given any thought to before, but very true. Remembrance Day is the one day of the year that as a country we stop and think of and hopefully thank a soldier for their sacrifice. It never occurred to me that it would also be a PTSD trigger.
I've always thought of Remembrance Day as a day of celebrating our vets and the freedom that they gave us and everyone they have fought on behalf of. Now I want to take my newfound knowledge about how Remembrance Day can/does affect them I want to be more conscious about Remembrance Day. No, I have no idea what that will look like. I consider myself very respectful of that day and the days leading up to Remembrance Day, but it has given me something to think about.
Remembrance Day means different things to different people. Some are mourning a loved one who died in combat. For others, it is simply thinking of and thanking those who have served and those who are currently serving.
For myself and countless others who have siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, etc serving presently or in the past it is that much more significant and close to home. For me, it became more real when my brother joined the military. My grandfather served in WWII and then passed away when I was 14. But it did not hit home then like it does now. Maybe because everyone's grandparents served or because I was young and did not fully understand what it was all about. It was head knowledge but not heart knowledge. These days it is much closer because I have a brother and sister-in-law who serve. I'm not here to put either of them on a pedestal or anything else today. Although I am very proud of them. I'm simply saying that I am that much more grateful and have a greater understanding of what it is like to serve than I did as a child. Which I suspect is the case for many of us. We learn as we grow.
My point in all this is to say thank you to our brave men and women to serve our country. Lest We Forget.
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