Remembrance Day Reflection on Freedom

Today we celebrate Remembrance Day. We pause to honor those who fought for our freedom, to reflect on the price they paid, and to acknowledge the benefits we gained through their sacrifice.

Global news provides daily reason to appreciate the freedoms we enjoy in Canada. My heart aches for those living in countries where simply stepping into the street means risking one’s life. Or casting an election ballot threatens one’s personal safety. Or converting to Christianity is akin to signing a death wish.

Yesterday in church, a woman from Iran told of how God had recently answered her prayer for refugee status. “If Canadian authorities had not said yes, then I would have returned to Iran,” she said. “Doing so, as a Christian, would have meant death.”

Oh, the freedoms we take for granted in our land.

Jesus Christ’s sacrifice

Today, as I pause to reflect on the freedoms I enjoy at others’ expense, I also say thanks to Jesus Christ for the sacrifice He made for mankind.

Hebrews 10:19-20 says:

¹⁹And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. ²⁰By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.

Jesus’ sacrificial death paved the way for us to have access to God. Because of what He’s done, we can know with certainty that our sins are washed away. We can enjoy moment by moment fellowship with the Divine. We can bring our concerns and needs to Him in confidence believing that He’ll care for us.

Taking our freedoms for granted

Oh, the freedoms we sometimes take for granted, especially if we’ve grown up in the Church.

Today, let’s pause to honor those who fought for our freedom. And as we do, let’s remember the price that Jesus paid so that we might enjoy spiritual freedom, too.