Does Memorial Day still matter? Is it still a good idea? Yes. Here’s why.

It’s Memorial Day. Are you off work? Sleep in, cook out, enjoy the day. But also, remember why you have the day off in the first place. After all, it’s not about you.

Memorial Day honors all those who have served our nation and paid for our freedoms with the sacrifice of their lives. While the history of Memorial Day has been punctuated with disagreement and even disunity, the occasional pothole hasn’t deterred our nation from honoring our history and our heroes, and especially pausing when the two come together.

But here’s a question: By honoring our fallen soldiers are we also dredging up pain and forcing others to reflect on their suffering? Before the weekend started, the US Army asked Twitter followers how military service had impacted them. Many tweeted positive responses, but even more reviewed tragedies. They offered stories of PTSD, suicide, and life-long health problems, all related to their military service—and all the more personal and distressing when captured in 140 characters or less.

 And how does such remembrance plug into a Christian world view? If Christians are all about God giving second chances and putting the past behind us, why do we set aside a moment to remember a painful past, perhaps refreshing that grief and loss for families and friends?

No doubt about it, to remember the good is often to expose the bad, to peel off scabs and reveal old scars. And from a biblical perspective, doesn’t it seem to go against God’s directive to move forward from bad times and forge a new future (Jer. 29:11)?

And one more thing—when we memorialize fallen soldiers, are we not glorifying war? Should we relegate Memorial Day to the heap of historical artifacts, joining progressives and revisionists in finally discarding a sad reflection of our lesser selves?

Of course not. Memorial Day still matters. It matters to you, and to me, and to our national heritage, and it also reminds us of some key principles of a biblical world view.  

Here are five lessons we need that are rooted in the Memorial Day celebration:

1. We are stronger together than we are apart. Memorial Day is about our national identity, not our personal whims. The collective memory of a people pulls us together and helps us keep our identity. God wired us this way, so Jesus instructed all Christians in every generation to remember that their bond began with His death (Mark 14:22-24).
2. Sacrifice is always greater than self-interest. Sacrifice is inspirational and laudable. In our sin we are selfish, but the person who sacrifices himself or herself for others sets aside selfishness for the greater good (John 15:13). Memorial Day reminds us of the cost of freedom, something never to be taken for granted. When we herald heroes because of their sacrifice, we remember what it means to be human, and that God’s own example of selfless sacrifice is His ultimate demonstration of His love (Rom. 5:8). Remembering our soldiers’ sacrifice forces us to face the fact that selflessness is always better than seeking selfish gain, and other people always matter more than our own agendas.
3. We do not have to be perfect to be great. In our celebrity culture, we cultivate the falsehood that only the rich can be great, or that true impact requires fame. But Memorial Day reminds us that service and sacrifice are possible for anyone, and true greatness comes about when we serve others without partiality and advance causes bigger than ourselves (Matt. 20:25-28).
4. Standing for what is right is always correct—and usually costly. Memorial Day is not a testimony to war. It is a remembrance that some things are right and must be defended. Freedom is costly, and defending it is always correct (Gal. 5:13, James 4:17).
5. And last, remembering the past, even when it is painful, provides hope for the future. The look back provides with it the celebration of the future (Isaiah 43:18-19). Hope includes a healthy perspective on the past, and with Christ we know we always have hope for the future. We do not remember the past, along with its pain, to stay stuck there. We remember it to be reminded of what we have overcome, the cost of second chances, and the truth that in Christ all things are made new (Rom.12:12, 15:4).

So as you rest and recreate, also pause to remember what it took to give you this day off.

And what you can learn from it.