Rows of Crosses
Well, we just got back from Washington D.C. It was an awesome experience for someone like me who really gets into history, and the stories that make up the foundation of our great country. Well, everything was awesome except for the flight over and the hotel; but that is another story. Frankly I’m not sure there is enough room here for me to explain everything that happened. But the important thing is we went, had fun, and made it back.
There was a part of the trip that really spoke to me. It was one of those moments that kind of just jumps out at you. It was a day after we walked roughly 6 miles looking at all of the monuments in DC (and there are a lot of monuments), and my wife’s feet were killing her. So we decided to take the mobile tour of Arlington Cemetery. This is one of the places that I had to go see. I have always been intrigued by and studied JFK’s presidency and everything that surrounded it. So one of the must see places in DC was the eternal flame at Kennedy’s grave. It was just an unbelievable moment for me, to read some of his words engraved in the marble surrounding his grave, and diving into the ideals that he was seeking for our country.
But this is not the part that spoke to me. That came while we were riding around the cemetery on the tour train. If you have never been to the Arlington Cemetery, everywhere you look there are rows and rows of crosses. These crosses are aligned in perfect formation for as far as you can see, and each one represents a soldier who represented our country in the military (most having died while in combat). And it just seemed to illustrate one of those Christian beliefs that some people tend to have a little trouble understanding and fully grasping.
See, I didn’t personally know any of those who were laid to rest. Only a few of them did I even know their story. Yet, there they lay. I was able to go to Washington D.C. and walk around the city and ride on the subway and write this blog because of those crosses that fill the grounds there in Arlington. These men and women paid the ultimate sacrifice so that I can enjoy the freedom that I do today, and I didn’t do anything to deserve it. It was not because of how nice I was to any of them, and I cannot do anything now to pay them back. It is a gift that they have already given; it is not something that I have to earn. The only thing I can really do is make sure that this amazing gift was not given in vain.
It all made sense. This amazing gift of grace that has been given by our Savior, it is not something that we can earn. There is no way for us to pay back what has been given to us. We just have to make sure that this gift was not given in vain. We have to do everything within our power to make sure we are living the life that we were called to live, that we are fulfilling the mission we were given by Jesus, that we are continuously spreading His Kingdom where Hell is on this earth. May we live in this freedom that we have been given, and may we do what we can to help others experience that same freedom.
There was a part of the trip that really spoke to me. It was one of those moments that kind of just jumps out at you. It was a day after we walked roughly 6 miles looking at all of the monuments in DC (and there are a lot of monuments), and my wife’s feet were killing her. So we decided to take the mobile tour of Arlington Cemetery. This is one of the places that I had to go see. I have always been intrigued by and studied JFK’s presidency and everything that surrounded it. So one of the must see places in DC was the eternal flame at Kennedy’s grave. It was just an unbelievable moment for me, to read some of his words engraved in the marble surrounding his grave, and diving into the ideals that he was seeking for our country.
But this is not the part that spoke to me. That came while we were riding around the cemetery on the tour train. If you have never been to the Arlington Cemetery, everywhere you look there are rows and rows of crosses. These crosses are aligned in perfect formation for as far as you can see, and each one represents a soldier who represented our country in the military (most having died while in combat). And it just seemed to illustrate one of those Christian beliefs that some people tend to have a little trouble understanding and fully grasping.
See, I didn’t personally know any of those who were laid to rest. Only a few of them did I even know their story. Yet, there they lay. I was able to go to Washington D.C. and walk around the city and ride on the subway and write this blog because of those crosses that fill the grounds there in Arlington. These men and women paid the ultimate sacrifice so that I can enjoy the freedom that I do today, and I didn’t do anything to deserve it. It was not because of how nice I was to any of them, and I cannot do anything now to pay them back. It is a gift that they have already given; it is not something that I have to earn. The only thing I can really do is make sure that this amazing gift was not given in vain.
It all made sense. This amazing gift of grace that has been given by our Savior, it is not something that we can earn. There is no way for us to pay back what has been given to us. We just have to make sure that this gift was not given in vain. We have to do everything within our power to make sure we are living the life that we were called to live, that we are fulfilling the mission we were given by Jesus, that we are continuously spreading His Kingdom where Hell is on this earth. May we live in this freedom that we have been given, and may we do what we can to help others experience that same freedom.
posted by Jeff at 6:59 PM
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