Greatfulness

I'm sitting here watching Saving Private Ryan for the umpteenth time and yet, it is such a powerful movie, I still find myself truly emotionally affected by it.

Assuming most of you have seen the movie, I will dispense with a plot summary and just move to my point. At the end when Ryan is an old man and he is at the Normandy cemetery, his genuine distraught pierces my soul. His internal debate with himself as to whether or not he has lived a good enough life to warrant the lives of the men who literally died to save him is such an unimaginable weight to comprehend.

I was discussing this with The Husband and his comment was simply, "Shouldn't we all ask ourselves that?" In one question, he too pierced my soul. How many of us take the time to think about those who have died to save us? How about the One who died the ultimate death to save us?

This isn't meant to be a patriotic plug, but really, when was the last time you thanked a soldier? When was the last time you prayed for the families of those who have lost soldiers? Regardless of your opinion of war (particularly the most current wars/conflicts/actions), these men and women serve to allow the rest of us a level of comfort, freedom, and happiness that many in this world are not fortunately enough to experience. As you think about your life, are you able to say that you live it in a way that is worthy of those sacrifices? I hate to say that I don't nearly often enough.

I think I need to post some kind of statement or quote in my bathroom to remind me to live my life so that the sacrifice that Jesus and so many men and women have made is not worthless. If I think if a good one, I'll let you all know.