The Day After

There is a difference between how we feel the day of a major event like 9/11 and the day after. It is the difference between unbelief and reality, between captivity and freedom, between loneliness and love.

In the moment, we are not thinking rationally. We react. The day after, we think more than the day before. We begin to cope.

I remember exactly where I was on September 11, 2001. Exactly. Most people remember where they were and what they were doing. We tend not to remember the day after because it was part of the coping process. Part of who we are today.

9/11 changed a lot of things. The Sunday after 9/11 for example, church attendance soared. Why? Perhaps it was because we were seeking some kind of safety in the constancy of God.

The disciples, the day after Jesus was crucified, were scattered. Maybe they got together and talked about what had just happened. If Jesus truly WAS God, how could He die like that? They were afraid and in hiding. Eternal life is a tough sell when the one who promised it had just died.

God is our one constant through life. He is there at the beginning. He will be there at the end. And in between He walks with us, comforts us, teaches us and loves us. He is there the day before our biggest battle is even on the radar.

He is there as we transition from birth to life outside the womb. From a hospital bed to life eternal, He is there. In a broken relationship He is there. Through the unbelief, through the coping, helping us pick up pieces and put them back together.

What was it like, the day after? It is grabbing a hold of the pieces you have left and fitting them together as best as you can. Then we move on from there, forgetting that God is the glue that holds us together.

The day after 9/11 we all vowed to "never forget" and "always remember". However that is not our nature. We tend to cope and move on in our self-reliance. We will rebuild! We tend to leave behind the very God that helped us through just the day before.

God wants us to always remember Him. To always honor him. Not for just an hour on Sunday, but every hour of every day. There should be no "day after" in our love for Jesus. It should be every day.

Today is the day after 9/11. It is the first day of the rest of your life. Live it, not for yourself, but for God. That is how we can honor Him and remember Him. By living FOR Him.

"Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life." - John 5:24