Duty, Honor, Country

The Memorial Day Service at our church is always a moving, thought-provoking service. A presentation of sermon, music, and prayer in honor and gratitude of those military men and women who have given their lives, the last full measure of devotion, for their country and its people. This morning, however, the sermon was more than that; it was a pointed reminder of the cost of freedom, both political and spiritual.

“You and I are dual citizens, Citizens of our native country, for most of us the United States of America, and citizens of the kingdom of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Citizenry in any domain always carries with it certain rights and certain obligations. I enjoy reflecting on the power of the closing words of the American Declaration of Independence: ‘And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.’ Indeed, what we offer our country, we offer our Lord first. Citizenship in a country and citizenship in heaven both require our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor – and rightly so. It’s worth asking on this day, in particular, in your relationship with your country and with your Lord and his church, are you casual or committed? Are God and Country just areas of interest among a variety of “interests” that are fine as long as they don’t mess with your free time, your career, and your lifestyle, or are they life-defining passions – to which you fully commit your life, your fortune and your sacred honor?”

This passage of the sermon, in particular, caused me to pause.

My spiritual journey, my relationship with our Lord Jesus, is a continuing journey, a maturing faith, a faith that I strive to pass on to my children through involvement in our church, through prayer, through the teaching of Bible stories. And, I do see a blossoming faith in both boys. In Connor who will break into a chorus of Jesus Loves Me at the oddest times: entering public restrooms, walking through the mall, in his room late at night… and in Ryan who will retell Bible stories to his younger brother and his “pets” (Webkinz). Granted these are not signs of the kind of faith Pastor Stan was preaching about, but the boys possess a real, child’s faith which we will continue to nourish and grow into that kind of faith.

I wonder, however, about their duty to country? How do we as parents foster a strong sense of country and citizenry in our children today when so many people seem to have replaced a sense of duty and honor TO their country with expectation and entitlement FROM their country? We FORGET how truly fortunate we are in this nation, we wish to IGNORE the plights of others around the world, we desire to be safe, to be isolated, and to live with ease. We are no longer willing to give “our lives, our fortunes or our sacred honor for our country.” How, then, do we instill a strong sense of country, of freedom, and of the cost of protecting both in the next generation?

I was raised in a military family. Perhaps that has something, maybe everything, to do with my sense of country, and with my desire to see that instilled in my children. I do not want them to agree mindlessly with the government or to shy away from speaking out either in favor or against current policy, but I do want them to feel a strong sense of allegiance to the United States of America, to understand how fortunate they are to live in such a wonderful country, and to appreciate the price that has been paid, and that will continue to be required, by the people of such a nation, and to truly embrace the inseparable nature of the three words above: Duty, Honor, Country.