Support Our Troops
We remember those who have laid down their very lives for the sake of our freedom this Memorial Day. It is a weight of sacrifice we do well to remember. The great liberty enjoyed by generations of Americans, to worship freely and pursue a godly life with both freedom of conscience and freedom of exercise is a privilege rarely and exceptionally available to humans according to the annals of history. To honor those who have both made and kept America free with their very lives is a good thing. But it shouldn’t end there. The question ever before us amidst such remembrances is: To what end? That is, what continuing good have their sacrifices effected? We do well to remember, but we do better to respond.
I’m glad to live for and pursue Christ in liberty of soul and liberty of expression. I’m deeply thankful for those who have gone before to make it possible. I would feel very selfish indeed if I only enjoyed my liberty tucked neatly behind my white picket fence and reserved that liberty for my family alone. I understand not everyone feels this way. Many are perfectly content to enjoy the manifold blessings of God’s grace and love perfectly expressed toward us in Christ within a rather tight and private sphere. As for my family, we’ve never been able to stay there, as appealing as those comforts may be. We must respond.
The unique blessings of living in a free and prosperous America, require of us something more. With such opportunity for self-determination, ought we not use such privilege to increasingly magnify our Lord? Is not the Great Commission most accessible to the American church? While so many of us can feel the tides changing and the shifting of sand beneath our feet, is not every opportunity for obedience still before us? Is there any real obstacle for the American church to wholeheartedly embrace and obey our Savior’s command to take the gospel to every corner of our globe? No. The only hindrances are a lack of faith or a gluttonous revelry in our comfortable and prosperous liberty. So how are you responding to the sacrifices of those we remember today?
Will you go, or will you send others to serve in your stead? This is the choice we make with our Armed Services. We can go and place our lives on the altar of service, or we can support those who do. It is the same choice with obedience to take the good news of Christ’s reconciling work to the nations, or support those who go.
DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR SUPPORT!
Among our Armed Services do you know the ratio of support to combat personnel? In military jargon this is your Tooth-to-Tail ratio. It is the amount of supply and support resources(tail) it devotes to each combat soldier(tooth). The reality is that most often it requires 8-10 support personnel for each soldier sent into combat. These ratios fluctuate with technology and the type of combat engaged, but I think the analogy holds up well. If you aren’t a tooth, be a great tail! It doesn’t mean you’ll never be a tooth either. It just means that the most usual means of engaging the Great Commission is by supporting the tip of the spear around the world. There are countless ways to do this. The most obvious is by providing the financial and prayer support necessary to carry on the work. However, did you know that 52% of our armed forces are made up of mechanics, engineers, and materials handlers? They do a specialized form of this work for military operations, but it’s not a far stretch for us to understand. In the same way, so much of the work of missional ministry is that kind which I think most of us could easily grasp and contribute to if we invested our time, talents, and resources thoughtfully. You’re already enlisted as a follower of Christ, it’s just a matter of focusing your efforts in the right direction!
Consider your gifts and abilities and vocational training. If you haven’t done so already, start examining how your specialized equipping to this point in your life could be used in service to Christ in taking the gospel around the world.
If you are living with the great spiritual and civic freedoms afforded you by the sacrifices of our veterans and those who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice, don’t squander them! Remember those who laid down their lives today and the blessings we enjoy. Now remember that you’ve been blessed, in order to be a blessing. Support your troops!
