Memorial Day is About Those Who Have Died for Our Freedoms, NOT Picnics, Barbecues, and Furniture Sales

Remember that Memorial Day is not about picnics or bargain sales. It's about THEIR sacrifice.

Culture encompasses more than just entertainment media. It is the totality of how we think and conduct ourselves, and what we believe. Though this blog is not the all-purpose one that my other blog is, it is a good place to lay out something that is on my heart. It has to do with how frustrating it is to me that our culture is so consumer-driven that we ignore the true purposes of our holidays and other days of honor.

I saw a commercial on television for a local furniture store chain here in upstate New York. They were announcing their "incredible" furniture sale for Memorial Day. It caused me to be sad. This is just the latest in a string of holidays that we have turned into useless "fun days", spent shopping, eating, and goofing off. Gone is the appreciation for what many of these days mean.

I think of how in the classic Charlie Brown Christmas special on tv, Charlie Brown bemoans the "commercialization" of Christmas. None of his friends seemed to care about, or even know about, the true meaning of Christmas, until Linus tells them. For all of the happy ending, that special did make an important point. We seem to forget the reasons behind the days we celebrate.

Christmas is first and foremost a celebration of God's Gift to us of His Son. The gifts that we give to each other are supposed to reflect and point back to that wonderful and horrible event. The suffering and grace of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ. If the gifts stop pointing to the Truth and become the main event themselves, then it is no longer Christmas, but a day of useless fun.

It is the same thing with Memorial Day. These men and women also died for you. Not in an even remotely comparable sense to Christ's sacrifice for us, obviously, but they did die to preserve our freedom.

Look, I'm not saying to not enjoy holidays. I'm only saying to keep our eyes on the purposes behind them in the first place. So this Memorial Day, amidst the picnics, barbecues, parades, and fun with loved ones, remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.


Comments appreciated as always. God bless you all. HOOAH!!!