This spring I went to the New Canaan Society weekend retreat in Washington, D.C.  This was the first time I attended and I really enjoyed it.  On Saturday afternoon, despite the threat of rain during our free time, my roommate and I did some sightseeing in downtown Washington, D.C.

Initially, we went to see the recently built WWII Memorial.  This memorial has several fountains mixed with a cascade of water flowing over granite-tiered displays.  In the granite, the names of the major battles are listed along with many famous quotes related to the war.  I watched as a father explained to his children what this memorial was all about and why it was important for them to know about the sacrifices made on their behalf.

Our next stop was the Vietnam Memorial.  The design of this memorial is very different from the WWII

memorial.  No battles are listed.  No famous quotes.  Instead, it is a list of every American soldier who died in battle.  Their names are engraved in a black, stone wall.  We stood there and watched as people ran their fingers across the names of loved ones: a family member, a best friend, a comrade … an only son.  Individuals would make pencil rubbings of names to keep as reminders of sacrifices made on their behalf.

The experience made me reflect on the battles and on the significance of the

result of those wars.  I thought about how the future of the world was impacted and more personally, about how my life was most certainly altered by the victory of the allies and our troops.  I was glad to see a lot of children learning about the price that was paid for their freedom.

However, there is an additional battle where our freedom was also bought with a price.   This battle was fought for forty days in the desert, at Gethsemane, and on the hill of Golgotha.  God sacrificed His only Son to have victory over the powers of this dark world.  He gave us a memorial, the Bible, to tell us about His battle strategy for rescuing us from eternal death.  It is through this victory that God allows us to transfer the name of Jesus onto our hearts.  Thank the Father for sending His only Son into harm’s way.  Take time to tell your children about the sacrifice made for them.  “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom ...” - Eph. 3:12.