You see, for now before I go to bed, I get to hear the prayers of a son praying with his daddy and hear "Good-night, mom, I love you". I go to ballgames not caring if I may be wearing food rubbed on a sleeve, as long as the number of a certain player is on my back. I still go through the house tripping over crazy objects and stepping barefoot on Legos. And for those quiet bubble baths, well I just wait a little later in the evening after all is quiet. I'm quite certain "self" is not a word in the vocabulary of a mother, because before anything you may require, you first make sure the child has all that he/she requires. I believe moms are the reason they have to make those announcements on airplanes, you know the one, "if the oxygen masks drop, please put yours on before assisting young children traveling with you", they just know Moms would do the children's first!
Almost exactly one year after my world was changed, the whole world changed. We went from a world of not knowing words such as jihad, or knowing anyone named Bin-Laden, or knowing towns and cities in the Middle East, or even comprehend a "war on terrorism", to now days, its all part of every day vocabulary. 
Evil did take control of passenger planes. Planes did fly into tall, strong towers. Many of our fellow countrymen did die. And we stood helpless for a moment. We sat in shock. We cried in disbelief. But then, we bowed. Then we prayed. Then we united. The color of one's skin didn't matter in the shadow of falling buildings. Republicans proudly stood hand in hand with Democrats. Jews and Christians prayed together. One was kind when passing in the grocery aisle. We wore our patriotic clothing and flew our flags outside our homes and stuck them on our automobiles. We saluted and applauded servicemen, policemen, firemen, first responders. Our church houses were full on Sunday mornings. Our respect for one another was high. Our love of God and country were seen everywhere we went. What's happened? Does it take a 9/11 to wake us up? Does it take evil getting all up in our face to bring us to our knees? Or is it just apathy and caring more for ourselves than others?
Today I overheard some children talking and one said something about 9/11 and another asked "What's 9/11?" At first I just looked over and thought "what is 9/11? Did she really just ask that?" But then, I begin to notice the world today: rudeness to complete strangers, back-biting, lack of respect for those in authority, lies about anything and everything, too busy with our own lives to care about the lives of others...even those closest to us.
Yes, that's the world we live in, and often times the church we attend and the members there blend in so well with the world that we cannot tell a difference.
My pastor (also my husband) preached yesterday on the "Spiritual Lessons Learned from 9/11" and I suppose this had me thinking more about it. A few things he mentioned was:
1. The threat of evil is very real, no one is above attack. Satan is searching for someone to devour, he starts with a scratch of character, and before you know it he has a foothold. That doesn't mean for us to walk in paranoia, but to walk in wisdom. Psalm 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."
2. We have to remember how fragile life is. We have no guarantee of tomorrow. "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." James 4:14
3. We were designed to be a beam of light in this dark world, to shine on and for the Father. There should be something so unique about us, that the world would look at us and want to imitate us. How are we doing with that? Do we treat our family, friends, strangers in such a way that if we weren't a Christian, we would want what we have? Do we talk differently? Do we react differently? Or do we just "blend in"? The greatest agents to impact this world will be God's children, lets not fail Him. ""You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden." Matthew 5:14 SHINE!!
He closed yesterday morning's sermon with the fact that 9/11 did indeed change our world, but the day that truly changed everything was the day that Jesus hung on the cross!
For without that day, could I make a difference in the life of a little boy that God entrusted to me and blessed me with the privilege of being his mommy? Without that day, could we go through the tragedies and sorrows of this life like we experienced on 9/11/01? Without that day, is there any hope? Without the faithfulness of the Father, the love of His Son, and the comfort of His Spirit, how could we do it? Why do we try to do it without Him?
Today I started off with Him and looking back on my day, I'm so glad I did! Why don't I take the time to spend with Him every morning? Why does "busyness" have to be a competition in the world today? Sometimes so much so, that we often feel guilty in saying that we had a quiet time, but I will gladly stand and say that yes, today, I took the time to be quiet before Him. All the clothes may not be washed, dirty dishes may be in the sink, and the family might have had to eat Taco bell for dinner, but because I allowed Him to fill me this morning, I was able to pour all day. Yes, today could have gone south for so many different reasons, but I chose instead of focusing on the negatives that Satan threw at me through people, to focus on the Father!
Don't get me wrong, Super-Christian I am not! Many days I find myself blending in with the world, the rolling eyes, the sharp tongue, the "self first" mentality, the gossiping, the back-biting...whoa. Those are the days I have to look back and see for myself, I didn't take time for Him. Its at that moment, that I have to bow humbly before Him, taken back to my knees, so that I might stand and shine my light on Him.
So yes, Jason, dear, I do agree, the day Jesus hung on the cross is the day that changed everything and thankfully, in the shadow of the cross and in the glow of the empty tomb He is changing things still today!
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