This Wednesday, November 11, is Veterans Day, a day set aside to honor the men and women who have served in our nation’s armed forces. We owe them our gratitude, not only for their willingness to serve, but also for the sacrifices that often accompany that service. Time away from home, separation from loved ones, physical and emotional challenges, and the willingness to put the needs of others ahead of their own.
To all the veterans in our church family and community, thank you. We are grateful for you and for your service.
November is also National Family Caregivers Month. It’s an opportunity to recognize another group of people whose lives are shaped by service and sacrifice, often in ways that go largely unnoticed.
Family caregivers are spouses, children, parents, relatives, and friends who devote countless hours to caring for someone they love. Their service may involve managing medications, preparing meals, providing transportation, helping with the most basic daily needs, or simply being present when someone shouldn’t be left alone.
It’s work that can be deeply meaningful. It can also be exhausting, frustrating, lonely, and overwhelming. And much of it happens quietly, without recognition or applause.
Dag Hammarskjöld, who served as Secretary-General of the United Nations, once wrote:
“It is more noble to give yourself completely to one individual than to labor diligently for the salvation of the masses.”
That’s a remarkable observation from someone whose life’s work involved the welfare of nations!
It also raises an interesting question for those of us who follow Jesus. After all, Jesus called his followers to be his witnesses “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). That’s a mission with a pretty big reach!
But think about the way Jesus lived. He stopped to speak with a woman at a well. He took time for children when others wanted to send them away. He noticed a blind beggar calling out from the roadside. Again and again, Jesus gave his attention to one person at a time.
And ultimately, Jesus gave himself completely for all of us.
Perhaps there’s no contradiction here at all. The mission of Jesus reaches to the ends of the earth, but it is lived out in the way we love and serve the people right in front of us.
That’s something worth remembering as we honor veterans and family caregivers this month. Their circumstances and responsibilities may be very different, but both remind us that serving others involves giving something of ourselves.
And gratitude ought to lead us somewhere. We can thank a veteran, listen to their story, encourage a caregiver, offer a meal, provide a little relief, or simply remind someone that their service hasn’t gone unnoticed.
We may not be called to serve millions of people. But every one of us is called to love our neighbors.
And sometimes, that’s where changing the world begins.
