“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” (1 John 3:16)

Eighty years ago, a valiant group of young men from America, Canada, and the United Kingdom stormed the gates of hell on a remote beach in Normandy. An estimated 10,000 were killed, wounded, or reported missing in the battle eventually known as D-Day—the largest amphibious invasion in warfare history.1

We’re hearing about it in the news this week because of its anniversary. But how many of us comprehend the magnitude of that day? Even though I was a World War II scholar in college, I couldn’t truly grasp what D-Day represented until I stood where it happened.

My husband and I had the privilege of visiting the Omaha Beach vicinity several years ago. In addition to a memorial and military cemetery, there’s a small museum that explains how Allied forces invaded Nazi-occupied France in order to put an end, once and for all, to the atrocities of tyrannical rule in Western Europe.

The museum also tells how almost everything went wrong from the start for the Allies. 

Weather reports on that day were faulty, and skies were overcast, reducing visibility. Bomber plane crews overestimated their targets and dropped their loads past the deadly German artillery, leaving enemy guns safely in place to pummel the incoming troops. 

Paratroopers landed in flooded fields, many of them drowning before seeing action. Floating caissons carrying tanks sank before reaching the beach. Infantry soldiers were left without backup, out in the wide open, to face the deadly German barrage.

How did the Allies redeem the day? By sheer perseverance and the courage of individuals who mounted the high dunes around the beach to take out the bunker crews. 

The cost was high, that day and later. More soldiers would perish in the battles afterward, including my cousin George Walter Phillips, Jr. 

Why were these young men so determined to succeed in spite of almost-certain death, in spite of their fear? The usual answer is that they were committed to defending the freedom of their homelands. That’s true, but their determination also came from a courageous, sacrificial love for others—out a desire to liberate those living under the bondage.

The parallels are similar for the mission of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He, too, left home and family to enter the world’s most important battle against our enemies—Satan and death. He was committed to bringing His truth and freedom to a broken world.

But it was Christ’s love that propelled Him to die on the cross, in order to release us from our bondage to sin. He Himself said that there is no greater love than this…to lay down one’s life for his friends (John 15:13).  

Beloved brothers and sisters, is Jesus your friend? Do you really understand the cost of His death for you? If you’ve lost family members to war, you have an empathy for His sacrifice through your own loss. Do the rest of us? 

I myself have a hard time imagining giving up my life for complete strangers. The memories of Omaha Beach and its stark realities are still burned in my memory. Yet Jesus gave Himself willingly and selflessly, as the Allied soldiers did, to secure freedom for others. 

Take a look this week at the images of D-Day and those who gave their lives there. Give thanks to God for their sacrifice. Then look to Jesus. Accept His beautiful gift of abundant life, and thank Him for His costly love. 

Jesus, how can I possibly fathom what You have done for me? How can I respond to such an overwhelming gift? For as high as the heavens are above me, so great is Your mercy toward those who fear You. Please embrace me in Your love, and help me to turn my heart completely over to You. Thank You for making me free. In Your name, Amen.

This hymn, written toward the end of World War I, hints at the cost of a courage borne out of love:

I Vow to Thee, My Country

• I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above,
  Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love;
  The love that asks no questions, the love that stands the test,
  That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best; 
  The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
  The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.
• And there’s another country, I’ve heard of long ago,
  Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know;
  We may not count her armies, we may not see her King;
  Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering;
  And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase, 
  And her ways are ways of gentleness, and all her paths are peace.²

Cecil Spring-Rice (1859-1918)

Nancy C. Williams is a Christian wife/mom with a writing career spanning more than 40 years in business and journalism. Williams is the author of the novel To Love a Falcon and the devotional book A Crocus in the Desert: Devotions, Stories, and Prayers for Women Experiencing Infertility. Her weekly blogs are featured on Crossmap.com. To follow Nancy’s posts and news, go to her home page at http://lightbournecreative.com and subscribe at the bottom. 

© Copyright 2024 Nancy C. Williams, Lightbourne Creative (text and photography) Unless otherwise noted, Scripture verses are taken from the New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

#dday #omahabeach #wwii #normandy #ddaymemorial #ddayanniversary

¹https://www.history.com/news/d-day-casualties-deaths-allies

²https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Vow_to_Thee,_My_Country