Word prompt--PRESERVE
Five minutes to free-write about it
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This image came up in my Facebook memories the other day and I thought of it with a pang of sadness when I saw this week's prompt.
9/11/2001 was an evil day in the history of our country, and there are many memorials to preserve the memory of it, lest we forget. But I can't think of any erected to preserve the memory of 9/12, when for a brief time people put aside their differences and came together, and many even turned to God.
From the very beginning, God called us to use visual aids to help us remember. The Israelites, for instance, regularly preserved memories of His miraculous works by erecting altars of remembrance, as in Joshua 4 when the Lord had them erect a pillar of 12 stacked stones taken from the middle of the Jordan River in remembrance of how He parted its waters to enable them to cross over on dry land.
Without something to trigger our memory, we tend to forget the good things and focus on what is wrong. We forget who God is and what He has done.
Reminders of God's mercy, grace, and faithfulness can lift us up and encourage us on dark days and preserve us from the danger of forgetfulness , which leaves us vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy and opens the door to fear and doubt.
Today we take communion in remembrance of what Jesus did for us on the cross. We can also preserve memories through journaling, pictures, and keeping a written record of the ways He has worked in our lives. We also have His Word to use as our guide, and I preserve memories in it as well by writing dates next to the promises I've seen fulfilled.
You are so right!
ReplyDeleteHi Sandra~ I love this post. I need to remember to make special notes of all the things that remind me of how, God has worked miracles in my life. I love the reminder to think about 9/12, I for one will never think about the day after the same... Thank you! Hugs, Barb
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question from my blog. Dave went to Haiti with me, 2 times to Nicaragua and to Kenya. I traveled with 2 other ladies to Uzbekistan and I went by myself every year for 11 years to Mexicali, Mexico. Well really not by myself but with 1200 other people..haha..
ReplyDeleteSue
The whole world came together to mourn with and for you that day.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to make a comment on your post. Yes, we need to remember, remember past incidences and remember what the Lord has done for us.
ReplyDeleteSue
I really appreciate your reminder of Sept 12. So true and we do need to remember that.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! It is important to remember the good as well as the evil. On Saturday, I'm going to see the musical "Come From Away". It is based on the events of 9/11 and the days that followed in Gander, Newfoundland. Several planes were made to land there when the terrorist attacks happened and the small town was suddenly inundated with thousands of unexpected guests. The musical focuses on the good in the midst of the evil as the community pulled together to look after those who were stranded. I haven't seen the musical before but I'm looking forward to it. I've heard it's really positive and uplifting and I love that something has been created to celebrate the good in the midst of such horrific events.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question on my blog... the 1200 people at our Mexicali camp included college and high school kids doing all of the jobs including construction. there was a core team of construction leaders several for each home being built. Our kitchen crew is included in the count, security is included in the count, medical team is included in the count, pastors bringing the messages every day. It really does take a village to accomplish this ministry task. Annually every year. I did it for 11 years. The last time was 2018 before Covid changed everybody's plans.
ReplyDeleteSue
I remember my son's little guy football coach praying and telling the families and kiddos how we will not let evil stop us from living in the daily, one of my college students who had finished his tour regretting that he wasn't there with his brothers, families drawing close - and communities turning our faces to God in the stun of the unthinkable. Thank you for reminding us to remember the good that can be redeemed through God in the hard.
ReplyDeleteA poignant and very sincere post, thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteLovely post Sandra, reminds me of one of my poems , we should always remember the good things in life and not dwell on the the things that are bad. God bless you Sandra with all He has for us in Jesus.
ReplyDelete"But I can't think of any erected to preserve the memory of 9/12, when for a brief time people put aside their differences and came together, and many even turned to God." Oh, I felt this. I remember the eerie silence of 9/12, when all the planes were grounded. I was living near an airbase, and the lack was unnerving.
ReplyDeleteI don't miss the fear and anxiety and loss that 2020+ brought, but I desperately miss the sense of community. I miss the sense of being in it together, and so many people doing what they could to support and care for each other.
"Without something to trigger our memory, we tend to forget the good things and focus on what is wrong. " Thank you for articulating this. It's a shame that it so often takes a tragedy to bring people together and remind us that we're each human. You have me thinking about community, today. I think I'll drop some letters in the mail to people I haven't seen in a bit.