Secretary of State Colin Powell was delivering an address to the World Economic Forum in 2003. This was just before the second Iraq invasion and Mr. Powell was presenting the case for the United States to hold Iraq accountable for the development of weapons of mass destruction. After his message, he accepted questions from the audience. The former Archbishop of Canterbury asked if the plans that then President George W. Bush was proposing were merely a pretext for empire building by the United States. This was Mr. Powell’s sobering reply.
We have gone forth from our shores repeatedly over the last hundred years and we’ve done this as recently as the last year in Afghanistan and put wonderful young men and women at risk, many of whom have lost their lives, and we have asked for nothing except enough ground to bury them in, and otherwise we have returned home to seek our own, you know, to seek our own lives in peace, to live our own lives in peace.
Colin Powell, Former Secretary of State for the United States
Since Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden, mankind has been at war, either with one another, God, or both. Millions have given their lives to support a cause that resulted in the ultimate sacrifice. How do we properly honor their sacrifices? Mr. Powell’s eloquent answer points the way.
If our perspective is only focused upon this life, why honor the dead? If we are nothing more than a random collection of atoms and molecules that have evolved to become humans, there is no greater purpose or hope once we die. But what if there was more?
Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.”
John 11:25 (NLT)
We honor our dead because we believe there is a life after death. If we placed our faith in Jesus Christ, we know that death is merely a transition of our soul from this life into the next. Whether wars, famine, or pandemics, nothing will ever separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen!
Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.
The Bereans Blog 