Spotsylvania Battlefield

Today I walked in fields where thousands of men laid down their lives for a cause, a purpose, larger than themselves. Men no different than I gave up all of their future hopes and dreams for the service of their country. Is this the noblest of callings? Not quite, I think.

To die is a momentary sacrifice. An instant or a few minutes of pain followed by the reality of eternity. Yet to sacrifice one's life while still living is a lifetime of self-denial. Surely it is a greater sacrifice to give up the freedom to live as one pleases than to give up life itself in a moment of supreme self-sacrifice.

Yet even this question of which is the greater sacrifice is beside the point. It is like James' and John's mother asking for eternal honor for her sons. All honor on heaven and earth is reserved for God, the three-in-one. The "success" or "glory" of my life rests in the clarity with which I reflect all glory and worship toward Almighty God. I bring worship to my Lord by letting his love wash over my life and spill into the relationships I inhabit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Spotsylvania_Court_House