In considering the subject of war and sacrifice, these quotes come to mind:
George Washington :
"There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the enemy."
John Stuart Mill :
War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature, and has no chance of being free unless made or kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.
And finally, we are reminded war is an inevitable condition of life for Man, given the selfishness of man; and especially the nature of those who do not acknowledge and follow Almighty God.
In the Bible, that is made quite clear:
For everything there is a season,
And a time for every matter under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate,
A time for war, and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Remember that God Himself often sent men into war for His reasons, that a mere mortal often could not necessarily see nor understand...
mrstank, we hold you and mrtank and all who defend America close in our thoughts and our prayers.
I know well - as do many here - the mental and emotional prepartion of the loved ones who wait.
When my husband was fighting in Southeast Asia (67'68), I often scanned the street, looking down to the corner, wondering is a "staff car" would come around it and to my door....
Bottom Line:
I knew all things are in God's hands, and left it at that, ready to accept anything.
Is it not so the next minute in life for any spouse/loved one/friend can bring "The Step over The Threshold"??
That an end might be abruptly brought by illness/accident/etc....??
Live life to the fullest possible, savoring the good things - -
and always thanking and praising our God of love and grace, freely given...
