“Jesus comes into the prison of our fears and regrets and guilt and shame and sadness and says ‘I love you no matter what.’ You are free” (Tullian Tchividjian).

It’s nice to have a three-day weekend periodically. Having Monday off is just about always a plus, although that generally means that the following Tuesday will be like a regular Monday on steroids.

Still, that extra day to sleep in is nice.

Better still is remembering why we celebrate Memorial Day.

It’s not National BBQ Day. It’s not Take Your Boat to the Lake Day. While all these activities are fun and great, they aren’t the reason for this special day.

On this last Monday in May, we remember all those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy. We say to those who fell in combat, “What you did was not in vain.”

We also remember as believers that Jesus paid the ultimate price so that we could be free. Not just from hell, but from our own prison of shame, guilt, regret, and fear.

We’re saved not just for a heaven down the road but for a full and abundant life here and now. We get to know and experience all of God’s love here and now.

We’re saved because Jesus chose the way of suffering out of a great love for us. Not because He had to but because He’d rather go through hell for us so that we could know heaven with Him.

I hope your Memorial Day was memorable. I hope you spent quality time with family and friends. I even hope you got lots of good food.

Most of all, I hope you and I never forget that our freedoms, whether national or spiritual, are never free. They always come with a cost.

Let’s be thankful to all who paid that cost.