May Is A Very Special Month Indeed
By Bruce Cannon
Mitchell County
What makes May a very special month? Two very important observances occur this month: Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. Both are very important in American life and should be embraced and celebrated by all!
First, May is the month where we are reminded that moms are special, to be honored, to be loved, spent time with, prayed for, and cherished……especially Christian moms! What a very special gift God gave the family when He placed His love deep in the heart of a mom. Even those moms who are not believers feel love, concern for, and feel very thankful for their children. But Christian moms, most especially those who walk close to the Lord, are very special.
When those moms love their children they do so with the full blessings of God, His wisdom, His power, His courage, and His strength. And, there really is a huge difference! Those moms lead their children in the most important instruction in life……how to know God, how to walk with God, how to please God, and how to be blessed by God. Those moms are extremely invaluable to a home, a nation, and a Church.
They are a guarantee that the next generation can be strong and face whatever storms and winds that blow. They have the peace of knowing that their children will be prepared to succeed in the things that truly matter in life.
The second special event is Memorial Day. While I am concerned that our respect for moms is waning, I am even more concerned about patriotism. (Webster’s defines patriotism as “devotion to and vigorous support for one’s country.”) Patriotism in America has waned tremendously as evidenced in how we now observe Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day, honor our flag and national anthem. When will we get to the point in America where it will be politically incorrect to honor our war dead, to pledge our allegiance to the flag, or to honor our veterans? With kneeling taking place during the national anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance or the Anthem being pulled from many sporting and social events, and revisionists rewriting American history, I see it as a very strong possibility that Memorial Day and other patriotic practices will begin drawing ire from those who were not raised to respect our values. This is also very clearly demonstrated by our tearing down monuments and statues that were dedicated to our war dead and military heroes.
America was founded as a Judeo-Christian nation. “In God We Trust” meant a lot to our earlier citizens. It first appeared on a two-cent coin in 1864. It is who we still are! Our hearts must still break when we lose soldiers in battle. We must still love our flag! It still blesses my heart to see people reverent during the National Anthem or Pledge of Allegiance.
These two celebrations are two that MUST not be allowed to weaken or go by the wayside. Again, thank God for Moms! Love her, pray for her, celebrate her and honor her this Mother’s Day and on every day. And, observe Memorial Day! Remember that there are so many families who have received the tragic news that a soldier had been killed OR that another soldier who faithfully served their country passed. We owe so much to those who were willing to leave home’s comfort and safety to fight for our freedom in all parts of our globe.
May I say again “I love May!”
________________________________________________________________________________
Reverend Bruce Cannon currently serves as the Senior Pastor of Bear Creek Baptist Church in Bakersville. Formerly he served as Director of Missions for the Bladen Baptist Association and he has served on the General Board of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.
You can read more Good Christian News from Pastor Cannon HERE.
_______________________________________________________________________________
