Nov 11th, 2022: Lest We Forget

Romans 13:7

 

"So it is your duty to pay all the taxes and fees that they require and to respect those who are worthy of respect, honoring them accordingly." – Romans 13:7

Today is Remembrance Day.

It is the day we take a moment to remember and give thanks for the service and sacrifices for our country. Maybe it is time for us to take a solemn look at our treatment towards our veterans. I don't think we have done everything we can to honor and show appreciation for them. One of my friends recently accepted the General Manager position at the Veteran Food Bank in Calgary. This organization plays a vital role in helping veterans, and they need our help.

There are three words that come to my mind when I think about Remembrance Day this year.

Commitment: We need to show a stronger and more meaningful commitment to caring for our veterans. Many of them have suffered from PTSD. That has impacted their ability to return to normal and healthy civilian life. Many years ago, I hired a veteran only to discover the severity of PTSD in his life. He was not ready for work and needed help to deal constant nightmares.

Companionship: I picked a young serviceman many years ago after his return from Afghanistan. We went to get a coffee at a local Starbucks. He became confused and irritated. Just a few days before, every decision he made had to deal with life and death. This Starbucks coffee jargon in making orders was just too much for him to manage. "Can I just have a cup of coffee?" he asked. We sat and talked for a long time about his experience with war and death.

Comfort: Being alone is not a very comfortable feeling for some of us. Many men and women who served wondered whether people really cared about what they had gone through. It felt as if there was no sense of appreciation for what they faced overseas. There was a disconnection between what they encountered in Afghanistan and what they saw in Canada. Knowing that we are willing to listen and walk with them will be a great comfort to them.

God of our fathers, known of old,

 Lord of our far-flung battle-line

 Beneath whose awful Hand we hold

 Dominion over palm and pine—

 Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,

 Lest we forget—lest we forget!