Earn It!

One of my favorite war movies is Saving Private Ryan. At the end of the movie, Private Ryan has been saved at the cost of a whole squad of soldiers, and a dying sergeant tells him to “earn it.” Every time I see that scene, I think those words are addressed to me, and to you. People I never knew have died for me. Earn it. People you never knew have died for your freedom. Earn it. “To you from failing hands is thrown the torch.” Earn it. You and I are called to live our lives in such a way that those soldiers will feel that we did not let them down, that we did not squander the sacrifice they made, that we struggled for democracy and justice and peace with every bit as much valour and vigour and vision as they did. Earn it.