A frequent saying around Memorial Day is “All gave some and some gave all” as we reflect on those who gave all in giving their lives for the freedom of our country. When a person enters the military, that commitment is at the heart of military service – giving one’s all if needed to fulfill the duty of protecting our freedom. The day-to-day service is that of giving the some.
In life, this applies also. Another one who gave all was Jesus as He gave His life on the cross for all of us to have life everlasting.
Whatever we do in life, we have the choice of giving all or giving some. It is not a case of just giving one’s self totally to one thing, but is a case of commitment to anything we choose to do. It is a case of “if it is worth doing, it is worth doing well.”
It is interesting how daily choices and society choices affect each other in this. Our country was founded on the adage of doing it well and that seemed to be the worldview of life through even the mid 1900’s. But as we moved into the Industrial and Information Ages, life became more about doing it quickly and cheaply instead of doing it well.
Today, cars are made of hard plastic. We eat on the run, swallowing quickly instead of sitting together with others to enjoy a home cooked meal from home-grown food. We are going paperless as we communicate in cyberspace, and many businesses only take plastic forms of payment. Friends are those who give us a thumbs-up on Facebook.
With all of this, life has become a transitory experience that requires only giving some instead of our all. No wonder mental illness and suicide are on the rise. A life worth living is one in which we give to it our all and get a good return on that investment.
