Have you been in the military of any country?  If so, you likely know that most nations of the world have set aside a special day in their calendar year to honor those who have. For the U.S., this day is November 11, the day that students of World War I know marks the day that the armistice that ended that war took effect (the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month).  Most municipal, state, and federal offices close, many schools shutter themselves, and a few businesses give their employees the day off.
     I am not a warmonger.  All things considered, I would rather the nations of the world never fight again.  I do not live to engage in and love war and combat, and I do not favor using war to resolve international differences.  Broadly speaking, I do not believe that God does, either.
     Yet wars happen, and many people feel called to or are conscripted to fight in them. Unfortunately, while some survive, far too many do not.  And this doesn't count the untold numbers of civilians who perish, too.  War's tragedy is immense.  So when I think about Veterans Day, I think about the horror of war, and I think about the safety of innocent people.  I also think about the sense of duty many people feel to their country. In addition, I think about the sin of the world, the fact of human compassion, and the beauty of peace.  And I think about God's willingness, in Jesus Christ, to die for us--and the world--so as to set all things right.  And I try to put all of these together.
     It's not easy.  It's not easy to know what, amid the forest, God thinks.  It's not easy to know what eternity, the lens by which all things will be assessed, envisioned, and judged, means.  But it's easy to know that God is present, in peace as well as war, his love for us ever unchanged.  What kind of a God would he be if he were not?