Meandering Down Hallowed Paths

Written by Sandy Wisdom-Martin, Executive-Director WMU SBC

According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs website, several cities claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day celebrations. One of those happens to be Carbondale, Illinois, where I attended college, and home of Major General John A. Logan. In 1868, Logan declared there should be a national Decoration Day (later named Memorial Day). Logan’s orders proclaimed, “We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance . . . Let no neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.”

May is the time when we also celebrate the founding of national Woman’s Missionary Union®. How I love meandering down hallowed paths of history. I could live in a library. Alma Hunt closed the 50th anniversary WMU® history book with these words:“Today Woman’s Missionary Union stands on the shoulders of a noble heritage. From this vantage point, its members can see the fruits of the laborers of other years and can walk into the future with confidence in its purpose and enthusiasm for its program.”

As the Bible admonishes, let’s remember our leaders and the former days. Reflect on what they accomplished. Thank the Father for their passion and commitment. The stories of their perseverance are inspiring. Learn from their mistakes. Celebrate what God did in their midst. Take time to express gratitude for their investment in your life.

Yes, we will remember. Then we must courageously move onward. My friend Carol Childress says, “God calls us to remember and honor our past, but He never calls us to live there. He is always calling us forward to the future.” Once we commemorate and express thankfulness, let Miss Alma’s words take hold of our hearts that we may indeed “walk into the future with confidence.”