Just a short while ago, I was commenting on FaceBook about the prevalence of a national day for everything: beer, good neighbor, strawberry cream pie, and, even donuts. While I think that is important for us to have reasons to celebrate life and the things we love, I wonder if the prevalence of these days diminishes the significant impact of some, particularly those days put aside in honor of people and their sacrifices.

Today we celebrate Veterans Day. Veterans Day was originally celebrated as Armistice Day, commemorating the signing of the Treaty of Versailles ending WWI, dedicated to world peace and honoring WWI veterans. In June of 1954, Armistice Day was changed to Veterans Day to honor veterans of all wars, as a national holiday.

Most families have individuals who have served our country in the armed forces. Whether they served in active duty or as reservists, they and their families recognize the sacrifice of time, safety, and even life, given for the common good. Ecclesiastes 3:8 states there is “A time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.” While I doubt many would wish us to go to war or to engage in conflict, the reality is that we live in a fallen world and God has given authority to civil governments to rule mankind, and sometimes that requires military force.

I am disheartened of late to read and hear so many people disparaging the US military as an arm of imperialistic oppression. I can’t in good conscience say that the US military is not guilty ever of causing harm. That would be denying the culpability of being a human-run entity. Where people are in charge, there is always the potential for evil. However, to only view the military from this perspective is to completely ignore the worldwide good done by the military, during both war and peace. The amount of humanitarian aid given by the military nationally and internationally both for natural disasters and war cannot be denied. In addition, the liberation of many people living under dictatorial rule, experiencing genocide, and the threat of terrorism can also not be denied.

We have developed a Veteran’s Day printout that provides a few key facts about the U.S. military and a devotional and prayer for families to engage in a conversation about the purpose and impact of our Armed Forces. Please fill out the form below to download.

We would love to hear how you honor the veterans in your life. Please share in the comments below!

Contributed by Liz Hunt