I remember very well July 20, 1969. It was my eighth birthday and with my siblings, parents and grandparents, we ate cake and I opened presents. But before I could even take a look at the new Barbie I had just received, Mom was clearing things away so that we could rush into the living room and watch the first man walk on the moon.
So, where were you when…?
We all have memories such as that when our lives are forever changed.
Every time that date comes around, or is mentioned, we are immediately transported, Star Trek style, back to the place and moment where we were…
- When John F. Kennedy was assassinated
- When Elvis died
- When the Challenger exploded .
- And 9/11/2001
So, where were you when…?
Our family had just moved to a new city just about three weeks before 9/11/01. The Sweetheart was still working, as an air traffic controller supervisor, three hours away. I had taken two of My Three Sons to school and the oldest was still at home preparing to leave for work. I always had the radio on in the mornings and we both heard it come over the airwaves that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center.
Yes, we had cell phones way back then and I immediately called my husband to see if he was still at the control center or had he already left. He was working the third shift at that time and was already on the highway heading out of town.
I was trying not to panic but when the next plane hit and then the Pentagon and finally Flight 93, no one knew what was coming next. But it seems we all realized our lives were never to be the same.
And that has proven true. We have been changed and we remember that day and all of those who perished. We have heard story after story of people who “should have been there” but circumstances delayed them or they called in sick or something kept them from being in the towers that day.
We have also witnessed the first responders who literally gave their lives to help another live. They very likely knew when they started up those stairs they were never coming back down.
Today, life is perplexing. It is stressful and even depressing at times if we dwell on all that is happening around us. So many uncertainties and unknowns, who do you believe? Who can you trust? Who is spinning lies and does anyone report the truth any longer?
It is very easy to become disheartened and to constantly dwell on the negative; there is plenty of it! The enemy would like nothing better than for us to be distracted here in what is surely The Last Days that the Bible refers to. If we are squabbling over every little thing then we aren’t focused on the task that was given to us when we became a Christian:
Go and Tell.
There are millions of people in this world who do not know Jesus! They may be afraid, they may wonder if there is any hope left and they likely sit across from you at school or share a corner in an office or ride the bus every single day; your bus.
What if we were focused on The Message that Jesus saves instead of whether the person beside us was wearing a mask? We would be better off if we were spreading hope to the hopeless and healing to the broken. Being the hands and feet of Jesus would keep us so busy we wouldn’t have time to argue on social media.
There is hope, there is healing for the mind, body and spirit; His name is Jesus. He still speaks and uses people like you and me to accomplish His will; it IS His will that all would be saved! We don’t have to wonder if He wants us to reach out to that neighbor or co-worker or desperate family member.
- He does.
- You can.
Someday soon I picture us around the throne, worshipping the One who saved us with the millions and millions of others who crossed over Jordan into Canaan. We will be marvelling at the beauty surrounding us, the new body we have (Hallelujah!) and the unbelievable thought that this paradise is FOREVER.
And I see us standing there in awe as we turn to the one beside us and say, “So, where were you when the Lord came?”
May we never forget those that paid the ultimate sacrifice twenty years ago on September 11, 2001. Honor them today with a moment of silence and a prayer for the families they left behind.
Join the conversation and share where you were on that fateful day.