Sometimes remembering the past is a way to honor those who lived it.
My son is reading the book, “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas,” in his 8th grade language arts class. It’s an incredibly moving and sad story about two boys who are friends during the Holocaust. One was Jewish. One was not. They both end up dying in a Nazi concentration camp.
I don’t like to think about dark times in history or dark things for the most part. When a television commercial comes on about children starving or animals being abused, I change the channel. The images stay with me long after the commercials and they weigh heavily on my soul.
I suppose our society as a whole has become that way. We are big avoiders of what troubles us or makes us uncomfortable and the pharmaceutical companies are more than happy to help us stay numb.
But, perhaps there are some stories that we need to hear. Perhaps they should trouble our hearts and souls. If we don’t remember the Holocaust, then we forget to honor all of those lives that were lost and we forget about the atrocities that humanity is capable of. If we forget, then we will allow it to happen again.
My pastor recently said that there are Christian churches who are refusing to place crosses in their sanctuaries and they never preach about the crucifixion. They find that it’s kind of depressing and people don’t go to church to leave depressed. He also said that many churches had done away with Good Friday services because the attendance was so low. Easter services on the other hand, were bursting at the seams.
I was kind of stunned. There’s no way around the fact that the crucifixion of Christ is probably the darkest moment in all of human history. It’s ugly and brutal. The pain and suffering involved can almost be too much to consider, but as Christians, we have to consider it.
The entire life of Jesus pointed to that ugly and brutal cross and he willingly went there and died. Isn’t refusing to remember and reflect on that an insult to the Son of God who did it for each one of us? How can Easter and the resurrection mean nearly as much if we don’t take the journey to Calvary?
If we allow ourselves to gloss over that huge sacrifice, can we feel truly redeemed by it?
Don’t get me wrong, I am a look on the bright side kind of gal and I avoid sad movies and stories at all cost. But, there are some stories that must be told, even horribly dark ones. It seems to me that there could be only one force in the world that would want us to forget the crucifixion or the Holocaust, for that matter. That force would have to be God’s enemy as well as the enemy of His people.
During the season of Lent, perhaps we should take a good long look at the cross and all it symbolizes. It can be painful and uncomfortable, but it’s important and make no mistake, in the end God wins.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂