I have heard that no one forgot where they were when they first heard of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
I know many people who remember exactly where they were when JFK was assassinated.
And for those of us who lived through September 11th, 2001, we all remember where we were and exactly what we were doing when we first heard of the attacks. The disbelief as we thought it wasn't as serious as it sounded. The shock as ANOTHER plane struck. The horror when the towers fell. The fear of what would happen next.
And it is a good thing that we remember. Tragedy on such a scale should never be forgotten. Heroism such as was seen that day should be honored forever. It is monumental because on that day, our world changed.
I wonder sometimes about remembering other life-changing events, though.
I wonder if Peter could ever forget the look on Jesus' face after his third denial.
I bet John could never erase the image of Jesus, while he was dying, asking him to take care of His mother.
And I know the centurion told the story, to his dying day, of how dark it was, and how the earth shook, when The Son of God died. It was life-changing.
9/11 will never mean as much to my children as it does to me; how could it, they weren't even born! But I still will tell them if the horror, fear, bravery and heroism of that day. And I will try to help them understand just how much it meant to be an American on that day and every one after.
But I worry that the crucifixion doesn't mean as much to us because we weren't there. I wonder what we can do to make it more meaningful to those of us who believe, even though we haven't seen. Maybe it means that I count just how much Jesus carried for me that day. Maybe I try to imagine what it was like to endure what He endured. Maybe I try to wonder how I'll thank Him one day, face to face.
How do we make the Cross as important a monument in our lives as some of the other days we'll never forget?
