No Greater Love
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
John 15:13
As you probably know, Monday, May 26th will be Memorial Day! Since we had a long weekend, my husband and I decided to take a little road trip to see some of his family. We stopped at a Chick-Fil-A to get some dinner. However, something I saw stopped me in my tracks. I saw an empty table with an empty chair. It was set all nice and neat with a candle, a single rose, and a Bible. It had a sign that read…
“This table is reserved to honor our missing comrades in arms
The tablecloth is white - symbolizing the purity of their motives when answering the call of duty
The single red rose, displayed in a vase, reminds us of the life of each of the missing and their loved ones and friends of these Americans who keep the faith, awaiting answers
The vase is tied with a yellow ribbon, a symbol of our continued determination to account for our missing
A pinch of salt symbolizes the tears endured by those missing and their families who seek answers
A slice of lemon serves as a reminder of the bitter face of someone captured in a foreign land
A candle has been lit as a beacon to guide the missing back home
The Bible represents the strength gained through faith to sustain those lost from our country, founded as one nation under God
The glass is inverted - to symbolize their inability to share this evening's toast.
The chair is empty - they are missing”
I stood there in the middle of Chick-Fil-A and almost cried. God, how could I forget what this day is set aside for? So many times I think we get caught up in our day to day lives, planning road trips and vacations, and just having fun with family and friend. We forget that there are families who are morning this weekend because their loved one never came home, is captured on foreign soils, or came back in a wooden box. We forget how blessed we are that someone would lay down their life for us. You know, I am thankful Jesus laid down his life for you and me. I don’t know where I would be without his sacrifice. I think the same can be said for the American soldiers who never made it home. Where would we (this country) be without them?
As you are enjoying your Memorial Day weekend, I ask you to stop for a moment on Monday and remember the men and women who are not here. Remember their families. Remember their sacrifice. Remember their “no greater love.”
“The memory of the righteous is a blessing.”
Proverbs 10:7
