Like everyone else that owns a television I was inundated with reminders of the September 11 tragedy that happened just 10 years ago. As I flipped through the channels, saw the tributes at the NFL games, and watched the news channels each having their own take on what to present, a flood of emotions came over me. I can remember the helpless, almost scared feeling I had that day. I remember going to work at the golf course and only having one topic of conversation with the 10 or so people I saw that day. (It was a men’s league day and we usually were packed all day!) I remember watching on TV the new stories and feeling like everyone else asking “What is going on?”
Last night, a new emotion emerged. I found myself angry. Watching the events in reflection I found myself angry and not real sure who to direct it towards. Should I be angry at the terrorists and those that are spreading their hateful propaganda? Should I be angry at our government that has seemingly taken a light approach towards justice? Do I even have a right to be angry?
I woke up this morning with a thought.
What are we are Christians doing to use events like these to share the urgency of the Gospel? It’s not only the tragedy that opens for sharing, but the story of life ending in the blink of an eye. Each victim of the attack woke up on September 11, 2001 expecting it to be just like any other day. They had no idea that people on the other side of the world had been scheming for years to kill them. They woke up, went to work, and in a few short hours would die.
How are you using the events of September 11 and the remembrance? I read this morning on Thom Rainer’s blog an insight about responding to the day after. That day when for most of us, we had to get back into our schedules and go back to work, only in a new world that had changed overnight. Did we use it as a reminder of what to hold dear and what was truly important in life? Are we using it to remind us of our calling in life to share Christ at all times.
I’m curious, what does September 11 mean to you?
