Good morning! I woke up this morning thinking about a powerful experience I went through yesterday with my family at a local museum.
A little over a month ago, Josh completed the 4 mile run honoring the legacy of Lt. Michael P Murphy, a Navy Seal who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. On the same day as the race, we went to a fundraiser in his honor and received half price admission to the museum named after him.
Lt. Michael P Murphy is a local hero, born and raised on Long Island. As we were contemplating what fun we wanted to fill our day with, Josh remembered that we had these tickets and threw out the idea of going. I had been wanting to go for a while, so we jumped in the car and took a ride not really knowing what to expect.
When we arrived, there was a beautiful pathway leading up to the entrance that had a hummer, some type of submersible vehicle, and a few other plaques commemorating his legacy.
As we walked through, the many exhibits highlighted different aspects of the Navy Seal program while providing a history lesson on their impact from World War 2 through the present day. Every Navy Seal hero that died during mission or training was displayed in honor.
What happened next is one of the most incredible experiences. As we were taking in the last exhibit (which was all about his final mission), there was a movie playing on a tv screen that was about to restart. We decided to sit down on a small bench – not really knowing how long the movie would be – and this woman (presumably a person on Staff) asked us if we had any questions.
We politely answered no and she informed us that the movie would restart in just another minute or so. The movie started and this woman on the screen looked very similar to the woman who was just in the room asking us if we had any questions. As we continued watching, Mer and I looked at each other and said, ‘That’s his mom!’
When the movie was over and we were getting ready to leave, the woman came back in the room and we asked if she was Michael’s mom and she confirmed our suspicion. We told her how blown away we were about the whole experience in the museum and what an honor it was to meet her.
The next half hour she began to tell us all about her son and how proud she was of him! The one thing she couldn’t say enough about, was his selfless nature – always looking out for the people around him, never wanting the spotlight on himself, and never leaving anyone behind!
Our whole family was moved by this interaction and now have such a deeper appreciation for all of the buildings, ball fields, parks, and streets named after this American hero!
She told us the story about how he could have made it out of the mission alive, but went back to help one of his team members and exposed himself to gain signal to communicate with headquarters requesting help, ultimately leading to his death.
I couldn’t help but think about the similarity of the selflessness of Jesus and His ultimate sacrifice for ALL of humanity!
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:45
The members of our armed forces and law enforcement agencies willingly put their lives on the line day in and day out for the safety of others. Jesus willingly came to the earth and laid down His life, so that we could live forever.
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:6-8
What a story of sacrifice – when someone is willing to put their lives on the line for people that they don’t even know. Jesus gave up His life while we were still His enemies. He did this to save us and give us freedom from a life apart from Him!
Let’s do our best to follow the legacy of Jesus! I believe Michael Murphy was an incredible example of the selfless nature of God to the many people he was able to impact throughout his shortened yet FULL life! How are we living as example of Jesus’s selfless nature?
Heavenly Father, thank You for this moving experience and the reminder of how much You have sacrificed for us! Help us to appreciate the sacrifice others make for us and to live as an example of your selfless nature in our interactions with others! In Jesus Name – AMEN!
Be Transformed 