Remembering

Remembering...

It's becoming harder and harder to remember.  The last living WWI veteran in Canada passed away in 2010.  With that passing, we lost a story-teller.  Also, war is a painful thing to talk about.  Veterans are of different minds about telling their stories - some need to pass on the realities of war, and others avoid doing so as the memories are too painful to continue to relive.  An acquaintance of mine mourned the fact that he saw people 'not wearing a poppy'... "How can they not respect the sacrifice of so many?".  At the same time, we live in such 'taken for granted' freedom that I wonder that perhaps this is what we fight for - a freedom so prevalent that we don't even think about how wonderful it is....

So, where is God in all of this?  How do we take hold of Him in this story?  We look back and remember who he created us to be, and that He created a world of peace, one of beauty, one that was good.... VERY GOOD.  We see our present world - one where there is pain, sin, death, and war.  We remember those who fought and died in pursuit of a world that would be free from sin.  We look forward.  God is working through the good deeds he has prepared for us, and for the day when heaven will come down, and every sword will be laid down.

Remember the peace that God created.  This November 11, honour the striving for peace, and pray for a world where peace is normal... even taken for granted.