The Unknown Christian Soldier

There are little white crosses and beside the crosses are books written in golden print telling of all their acts of service.

In my country (the USA) there is a solemn ceremony that takes place in Arlington, Virginia.   All our presidents in recent history have paused once a year to set a wreath of remembrance at the Tomb of the Unknown.  It is an awesome and reverent moment.  We meditate on the ultimate and selfless sacrifice men and women in our armed forces have made in helping to purchase and maintain the freedom we enjoy in this country.  The solemnity of the moment is only heightened by the realization that they have sacrificed their lives in personal anonymity far from the sound of public applause.  The ceremony brings a lump into the throat of many Americans.

Is there a spiritual counterpart to the Tomb of the Unknown in Heaven?  If there is, it would pay homage to an army of people who show allegiance not just to one country, but to the Church founded by Jesus Christ.  Many of these people have made the ultimate sacrifice as martyrs for Christ. But many others, though not dying physically, have sacrificed themselves in personal obscurity to help accomplish the purposes of God on this earth.  They are the glue that holds things together and without which the Church or any Christian organization does not function.  The unseen servant, like glue when applied, is no longer seen, but without it things fall apart.  They are like the salt in our food.  It’s mixed in the food and disappears, but when you taste it you know whether it is there or not.  A church devoid of servants is a like a carriage without a horse; it is not going anywhere.

            Now, allow me a little spiritual imagination if you will.  If God had a Tomb of the Unknown, what would it be like?  There might be neat rows of little white crosses with the inscription, Unknown.  But as God views them, He sees the names of the people perfectly inscribed.  Beside each cross lies a book.  Some with many pages, written in beautiful longhand with letters embossed in pure gold to represent the purity of Christian service.   Focusing on the writing, it becomes clear; it’s a list of every act of service done in love.  Each entry is complete with the date, and location, and intricate detail of the circumstance involved.  And the final page or pages as the case may be, are just a series of various sized spots on the page, which are God’s record of every tear shed for the sake of the Gospel.   No, this probably does not exist, but I think it could, because God has every tear shed for Him in His bottle of remembrance.

            So take courage my fellow followers of Christ.  Your work may seem to be unspectacular or even a little unpopular, but if it is done for Him it will always endure.   Only what is done for Christ will last.  In that grand stage we call life, we can feel like we always get the understudy role.  And yes, in this world your curtain calls may be few and far between.  But if we play our role for Him and His glory, in that final heavenly encore, don’t be surprised if you get a standing ovation, because God sees and He never, ever forgets.

Ken Barnes, the author of “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places”  YWAM Publishing

Email:  kenbarnes737@gmail.com
website:        https://sites.google.com/site/kenbarnesbooksite/

Blogs:  http://kensblog757.blogspot.com

             http://gleanings757.blogspot.com