Today is Veterans Day! It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog post, so this is a perfect prompt for me ^^; That is not the only reason I wish to write this post. I want to share the reason why I like Veterans Day. In 2008, my Uncle Ricky died from a bomb explosion while serving in Iraq. He was only 23 years old, which is crazy for me to think since I’m only two years away from being 23 myself. Because of that, I revered people who served in the military. However, I didn’t think that deeply on the importance of what they do. It wasn’t until I became old enough to vote that I began thinking deeper on what it means to protect a country. Since it is Veterans Day, I feel like it is a good opportunity to share my thoughts regarding the military.

I always loved days like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentines Day, National Sons and Daughters Day, etc. They all have one thing in common that I adore: honoring another person. On Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, we honor our parents. On Valentines Day, people honor his or her romantic partner. On National Sons and Daughters Day, parents honor their children. Honoring another person is a very Biblical thing to do. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 (NIV) says: “Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.”

We see so many people dishonor others. We see this with Cancel Culture. We see this in political campaigns. We see this with older people despising the youth. Imagine how discouraging this must be to the people who are dishonored, especially if they’re trying to better themselves as people. I know this from experience. I was 13 when I learned about God. I was learning things from the Word and applying it to my life. However, people made me feel like what I thought didn’t mean much. I didn’t feel valued because adults looked down on me since I was only in middle school. It made me even question if God thought I was valid. Dishonoring people is a dangerous thing to do. It creates more problems, not solve them.

I will give another example of this. I feel horrible for people like the actor Kevin Hart. He wanted to host the Oscars, but people took that opportunity away from him because they decided to dishonor a wrong decision he made YEARS ago. He made a joke that was hurtful towards the LGBTQ community. Sure, that’s not a good thing to do, but love is gracious. It forgives offenses like that mean joke. If I were Kevin Hart, I would feel discouraged. I would feel like I can’t get anything I want because a pretentious society says so. Luckily, I have God, who promises to grant our hearts’ desires when we delight in Him (Psalm 37:4). I want to note 2 Corinthians 2:5-8, 10 regarding what Cancel Culture did to Kevin Hart. It’s what God calls the church to do in situations like Kevin Hart’s Oscars case.

I have a reason for bringing up those two examples of dishonoring people. We must understand Honor vs. Dishonor. When we don’t see the destructive nature of the wrong choice, we may fail to realize the importance of the right choice. Likewise, if we don’t understand the constructive nature of the right choice, we may find ourselves doing the wrong choice. When we dishonor our veterans or omit honor for them, it hurts them. It can even lead to them becoming so discouraged, they’ll become unable to see God’s love for them and abandon righteousness. Thankfully this doesn’t always happen, but it can definitely happen. 2 Corinthians 2:5-8 warns us of this.

1 Corinthians 13:5-8 is another verse I think about on Veterans Day. Not only does it say we should not dishonor others; it also says that love always protects. Protecting is what our veterans do. They protect us by serving in the military. They literally protect us with their lives to make sure that our lives don’t have to be afflicted. This is why we honor them, especially on Veterans Day. Veterans work hard to protect. As it says in 1 Corinthians 13:7, to protect is love. As it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, we must honor those who work hard in love and service.

Romans 13:1-7 talks about the purpose and importance of government. I love this verse because it is loving truth. As corrupt as government can be, God didn’t design it to be corrupt. Yes, He designed it! Now, He doesn’t approve of government leaders to abuse power. Jesus clearly says this Matthew 20:26. You can reflect more on Matthew 20:26 and Romans 13:1-6 on your own. I bring up these verses to emphasize Romans 13:7 in particular. The other verses I brought up is more for context for what I’m about to say. Romans 13:7 says, “Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.” We owe our veterans honor. Honor is not something that should be done carelessly. Honor is thoughtful, considerate, and shows itself through word and action. Veteran Discounts is an example of honor. So is listening to their stories. So is thanking them with our words, both with the mouth or in an internet post.

I want to end this blog post by encouraging you to be more intentional about gratitude. Gratitude and honor go together, after all. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Jesus Christ.” Don’t be discouraged if you believe you take things for granted. It happens, and God forgives us when it does. We can stop taking things for granted today and begin practicing thankfulness. Since today is Veterans Day, let us start by thanking our veterans ❤