Giving Thanks 5

It is a rare person who is prepared to lay down his or her life for others.  Sometimes it is called altruistic suicide.  Sometimes it is called conspicuous valor.   Often it is done without thought, a selfless, instinctive act, like the professor at Virginia Tech who used his body as a barricade so that other men and women could escape.

And sometimes it comes from love.  "For God so loved the world..." (John 3:16) that he was willing to give his life, even to suffer death by crucifixion.  Others have said it more eloquently.  The one who is timeless in the moment of his death saw all of His creations and willingly became the sacrificial lamb. 

I give thanks for all who have given their lives so that others may live, and especially thanks to the one who died for all.