It starts out small – ankle high. But as you walk along the brick sidewalk, the wall grows higher and higher, listing more and more names. Somewhere along the path the significance of the list became overwhelming to when I realized that the Vietnam Veterans Memorial bears the names of nearly 50,000 young Americans who died in that conflict around 30 years ago. Many of those were High School classmates and Basic Training buddies of mine. Anita couldn’t understand why I couldn’t move on any faster, but the reality of those names being real persons was captivating.

Other lists include the 34,000 GIs who died in Korea and the nearly 300,000 who lost their lives during World War II. The other countries involved in those conflicts also have their lists of people whose dreams and hopes died with them in battle.

Today, as we remember those who gave their lives in defense of freedom, we need to think about a list that gives meaning to life – and death. It’s a list that God keeps. It’s not a register of the dead but a list of the eternal living called the Book of Life. Is your name listed there?

Tags: Memorial Day, Vietnam War