Take Root and Write

Reflections on 9/11: Moving Forward

On two poignant occasions, I have come to remember that no matter what happens, life continues to move forward.  That even in the midst of my grief, the world still turned and somehow did not stop for me.  These experiences were when I was en route to the cemetery for the burial of my grandmother and my mother, respectively, several years apart.  How on Earth could those children be playing in their yard so happily like that?  How could that couple be holding hands and strolling along?  How could all of those cars drive to and fro, going about their business as though nothing had happened?  It was a very strange sensation each time.  Something felt as though it was coming directly from the universe – perhaps simply coming from the way that God has created things.

 

There is a time designated for everything – to mourn, to rejoice, to live, to die.  But the beauty rests in that ultimately, life moves forward.

 

During this 10^th anniversary year of September 11^th, it has become apparent to me, that from my perspective, the world as we knew it before that fateful, terrible day, was forever changed – however, with varying degrees of firm definition.  We remain in the midst of struggles regarding troops in Afghanistan and have a terror threat alert system, but few people know what to do with it.  We, as Americans, live knowing, in the backs of our minds – that a terror attack can certainly occur here on our own soil and not just thousands of miles away, on television. Some first responders to the disaster on 9/11 seem to have to struggle for medical care for ailments stemming from their heroic acts.  And perhaps the greatest overt change of all - air travel security.  These, in addition to many other ways things have changed.

Yes, Lord…with Action

Think Big, Pray Big, Act Locally 

 

Have you ever been offended when someone asked you to do something, but obviously did not believe you could accomplish the task at hand?  You were probably thinking, “Why ask me to do it in the first place, if you do not think I can do it?”  At this point, some of us might unknowingly get a bit of an attitude about things, and say, “Perhaps you should do it yourself.”  Now, imagine this being a dialogue between you and God.  How many times do we ask Him for things, with a heart that doesn’t really know for sure that He is listening, or that He will even take action?

 

Why is this?  Well, there are numerous possible reasons and I will focus upon one, which has been on my heart of late.  I truly believe that we forget who God is and what He has done!  Have you ever noticed how often the Israelites call to remembrance God’s awesome acts and miracles?  I honestly feel that it is because in their daily lives, just like ours, we can become so involved with our own “stuff,” that we simply forget what God is capable of, and we must make a concerted effort to sometimes recall that the creator of the universe and being by whom we wake each morning – not just by some magical “God-in –the-sky” kind of feat, but through miraculous scientific methods – can do anything. 

Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and the God-Shaped Void

FAN: noun; an enthusiastic devotee, follower, or admirer of a sport, pastime, celebrity. 

Origin: 

1885–90, Americanism ; short for fanatic

Synonyms: supporter, enthusiast, partisan, booster, addict.

 

I observed the audience, as she stood before them, giving exhortations.  Thousands of people with arms raised, hands reaching out, tears streaming down many faces.  Some fans screamed, others silently weeped in adoration.  Was this a praise concert or worship service?  No - it was a Lady Gaga concert.  This left me asking, "What is missing from these people's lives if that is their reaction to a pop star?"

We as modern human beings are big fans of our free will and independence.  This is all very well, especially since free will is one of the greatest gifts given by God to mankind.  Simply put - we get to choose who or what we worship.  Make no mistake, we are innately wired to understand that there is something greater than ourselves and therefore, people will worship something.  When we veer too far off the path on which God is leading us, we begin to frantically search for something to fill this void, and believe me, those are impossible shoes to fill.  We might turn to worshipping cars, sports teams, athletes, Harry Potter or Twilight, pop stars, religious leaders, money, success, video games, searching for a husband or wife, popularity, pleasing people, food, power and so on.  However, worship is not a multi-tasking kind of activity.  You can only choose one thing at a time.

Just the other day, I realized that standing right in front of me at McDonald's was Justin Bieber and his girlfriend, Selena Gomez.  We're talking the multi-millionaire teen sensation with legions of fans, mostly tween girls, who have recently hit an all-time level of intensity with death threats to his girlfriend and any artristic competition.  My severely handicapped brother even loves Justin Bieber, okay?  Everyone seems to be a "Belieber."  Thanks to texting, Facebook and Twitter, within minutes of placing his order, he was accosted by a swarm of tweens, teens and yes - 30 and 40-somethings.  Poor kid can't even get a Big Mac! I do not, for the record, know what he ordered.  My friends think he's more a McNugget kind of guy, but I digress...