Posted on Nov 11, 2015 in Devotions |
by Dona Hake
Today let us give thanks for our Veterans that fought for our freedom. Several years ago I had contacted some Veterans and asked them to share the thoughts of their heart relative to serving their country. I felt to share these again with you today. I purposely kept them anonymous as I had promised them. I pray that each one of these comments will touch your heart, and cause an even greater appreciation for those that paused their life to serve this great Country, America the beautiful!
A young Veteran shared with me…
“So many citizens really have no idea the sacrifices required for a person to serve. The hard training. The risk of being placed in harms way. the time away from your family. The sacrifices the family makes. Children missing their parent and not having them around for so many of there special childhood events.”
This young man’s words caused me to be reminded to pray for families and those presently serving especially during the holidays because they are separated. I remember being an Army mom and having that empty chair at the table during a holiday meal because our son was serving his country. Let me tell you, it was not easy. Thank you son for the time in which you served our country. We are so proud of you!
A couple of the other correspondences with me from veterans expressed deep concern over the well being of our veterans, their mental and physical health. There was grave concern over them being able to secure jobs to provide for their families. Let us pray for them that they will not be forgotten for this simply is wrong. May we provide opportunities to them that they may get on with with their lives…they deserve to be respected, honored, and helped.
In closing there was one correspondence in which the Veteran’s remark was simple yet profound…”So many people can not understand what it means that these young men and women are serving our country. ” There was emphasis on the word ~ serving ~. Let us think about those words…there are men and women serving our country right now. I started to think about how this individual served me by serving my country before I ever met him. Then I started to think about all the young men and women that have served to keep our country free that I will never be able to say thank you to. We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.
If you have the opportunity today to say “thank you!” please do so. We salute you veterans for the time you paused your life, and committed to a cause as you served our country. God bless you, and thank you for serving us! Lord, we thank you today for those that have set their hearts to serve our country. We never want to take our freedom for granted. We ask that You bless them and keep them, in Jesus Name we pray! Amen.
