Memorial Day Quotes 2021

“If you woke up in America this morning, you hit the jackpot. Let us honor the brave souls that sacrificed to make that freedom possible,” posted my friend Matt Andrews on facebook today.

Although I said Saturday, there would be no new post today, my facebook and email messages inspired me to share a few quotes and messages I’ve read today.

I hope they will inspire you as well. And help us remember the significance of this holiday.

In his weekly email message, Bob Russell wrote, “I think those of us who follow Jesus Christ would do well to find ways to soberly reflect on the original intent of Memorial Day.”

“It may mean visiting a military cemetery, mentioning it in a mealtime prayer, playing patriotic music, or viewing a wartime documentary with your family. Find creative ways to focus attention, at least for a moment, on the high price that has been paid for our freedom.”

“By doing so, we are rightfully paying “honor to whom honor is due.” (See Romans 13:7.)”

This classic quote from Ronald Regan on Memorial Day in 1982, challenges all of us.

“Their lives remind us that freedom is not bought cheaply. It has a cost; it imposes a burden. And just as they whom we commemorate were willing to sacrifice, so too must we — in a less final, less heroic way — be willing to give of ourselves.”

In a similar vein my facebook friend Debbie Vance Hendrix posted: “This Memorial Day, I am thankful for all who gave their lives in the service of this great country. May we never forget that freedom is not free.”

Wilson Adams begins today’s post with: “Facebook asks, ‘What’s on your mind?” Well, a lot these days.’” Wilson, then, offers these sobering and thought-provoking insights.

America is on my mind. For starters, I love this country and I’m not afraid to say it. I wasn’t born here, but I got here as quick as I could -as a toddler aboard a ship sailing past Lady Liberty into New York Harbor. American by birth, albeit not by geography.

American has taken a beating by some who would like to see it fundamentally changed. That it isn’t perfect is obvious. That’s it’s institutions are flawed -well, that’s obvious, too. Because… those institutions are made up of flawed people.

America has not achieved because its leaders have always stood as shining examples of courage and virtue; America has achieved because ordinary folks seek to live righteously. Ordinary folks who want right over wrong, justice over lawlessness, and the liberty to raise families beneath the holy guidance of God.

America is at a crossroads -a crossroads of respect for law and order versus a lack of respect for the same. Why are we surprised? Remove God from a nation’s conscience and the results are predictable. If you doubt it, then you’re not a good student of history. If “righteousness exalts a nation,” unrighteousness destroys it.

America has been built on the backs of those we remember today. The fields of white stones set in a row and dotting our landscape serve as a reminder of those who served -many of whom fell while doing so. We honor the fallen today. We should.

America is still beloved and its heroes still remembered. “God bless America” means more than mere words. It’s a calling. -A calling to trust Him to carry us through these times of hardship. After all, our strength, our hope, and our future rests not in politicians, corporations, academia, or media. Our strength, hope, and future rests in Him.

And… ordinary folks who still trust in Him

Finally, this quote that has been widely repeated through the years is still true: “There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured with what is right in America.”

May we honor those who deserve our honor.  And may God bless you all on this Memorial Day.

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman