Rising to the Call of Duty

In the summer of 1776, fifty-six men gathered together in Philadelphia and essentially gave their lives in signing the document that Thomas Jefferson penned—The Declaration of Independence.  Many of those men were pursued and torture by the British, and some even died, because they signed The Declaration of Independence.   

Since then thousands upon thousands of American’s have given their lives to preserve the freedom that these fifty-six men had envisioned almost 240 years ago.  These faithful American soldiers rose to the call of duty when their country needed them.  Many of them suffered disease, hunger, thirst, homesickness, and eventually death.  They fought for you, and they fought for me. 

Yesterday and friend and I went to the Rexburg 4^th of July Parade in celebration of America’s Independence.  It was your typical parade with cheerleaders, dancers, floats, community societies, tractors, the mayor, and . . .

That’s right, only in Rexburg, Idaho would you see LDS missionaries in the middle of the 4^th of July parade, and have it be considered normal. (Side note: If we ever did that in Illinois, we would probably 1) be shot 2) be kicked out of the area.  I can just hear President saying, "There are more effective ways to do missionary work."  Okay, so I'm expatriating...but still...). 

As my friend and I were munching on our Jimmy Johns sandwiches a little while later he mentioned that missionaries were a lot like the soldiers that serve our country. 

“They both, in a way, give their lives, but in different ways.”

A soldier will sacrifice his physical life, while a missionary will sacrifice his personal life for the freedom of their brothers and sisters from the bands of Satan.  Young men and women will rise to the call of duty when God needed them.  Many of them suffer homesickness, disappointment, and heartache.  But in the end they always see their rewards. 

A missionary’s purpose allows people to be free from sin and find eternal freedom with their Father in Heaven.

In 1776 those fifty-six men declared, “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  

Only through the message that God’s soldiers bring to the world can we realize what Life, Liberty and Happiness truly mean.

Because these great American soldiers fought so valiantly, God’s soldiers are able to go all over the world and free people from their sins.  These two groups of soldiers fight hand in hand.  How grateful I am for all those who have risen and will yet rise to the call of duty to fight physically or spiritually for the freedom that God wants us to have.