11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. John 10:11
It was just eleven years ago when four planes were hijacked by extremist terrorists with destinations being the world trade towers, the White house and the Pentagon.. Two of the planes hit the towers killing everyone on board and sending thousands of people to their deaths. A third plane crashed into the Pennsylvania country side through the heroic efforts of some passengers. A fourth plane crashed into the Pentagon again killing everyone aboard.
Many of us remember exactly where we were the moment the planes crashed. I do. I was on my way to work when I heard the on WCCO radio about a small plane thought to have been a Cessna that crashed into one of the World trade towers.. Then a few moments later the small plane was changed to an American Airlines passenger jet. I remember the shock and horror as I heard this news and thinking of the innocent victims whose lives had been lost.
. As I entered the building I worked in I saw in real time the second passenger plane crashing into the second building. Many of us were glued to the television wondering how the survivors in the trade towers were going to be rescued. I knew that it wasn't going to be a productive day. It was this moment that the late newscaster, Peter Jennings, began smoking again. Stress and anxiety will do that to people.
What I have learned since our daughter Maria left us prematurely and suddenly is that everyone us has a September 11 moment.
What is your September 11 moment? Your moment may be the day you received the dreadful diagnosis you prayed would never happen. Your moment could be the day your spouse walked out on you and filed for divorce. Your moment could be being told that your services were no longer needed and you were being terminated from your job. It could be the moment in time when the emergency medical technicians told you they had done all they could, but there was nothing they could do to bring your loved one back.
Everyone has a September 11 moment that brings emotional triggers weeks, days before the anniversary of that event, or even the date itself. You may not be yourself when that date hits you and when it does tears will come to your eyes as you remember that moment in time.
Whatever your September 11 moment is the good news is that God wants to walk with you through your journey of remembrance. He wants to remind you that he watched his son be tortured and left to die on the cross. But he did one thing better. He gave his son life when he rose again from the dead, appeared to hundreds of witnesses before ascending to heaven. He gave us the assurance that he has paid the penalty for our sin and simply asking Christ to come into your life you can have the assurance of spending eternity in heaven. Jesus wants to be your shepherd where he will help you navigate through the emotional minefield of your September 11.
Recovering from grief requires hard work of sorting through each of the emotions you feel. If you are having difficulty coping with a traumatic loss I encourage you to find a Griefshare group near you. Grief share is a 13-week group that teaches you how to go through the pain of your loss, not around it. https://griefshare.org
ReplyDeleteWell, this is the 20th anniversary of September 11th, 2001. The date permanently etched in our memories. I heard an interview of a firefighter who is still battling PTSD 20 years later. Trauma will do that to people.
ReplyDelete