Do you remember where you were and what you were doing on this day in 2001? It's hard to believe that the day that changed our nation significantly was 17 years ago. For our teenagers, it is a day in the history books. For the rest of us, we still remember well what we were doing and what our thoughts were when we first saw the coverage of the plane flying into the tower. We knew it was an overwhelming tragedy, but we had no idea how it would change our world and our lives.
Isn't that true for every hardship in life? Thankfully, we don't really know the scope of what is happening and how situations will affect us. We only know what we see and feel at the moment. When tragedy does strike, we have a loving and merciful God who is ready to walk with us in good times and carries us through the bad times if we let Him.
We all have heroes around us - people who have prepared to help us with disaster. A hero might be in uniform or might be that loving parent or teacher who would sacrifice for your safety. Take a moment to thank those around you, both that family member and the police or fireman who daily chooses to protect you from undue harm.
So what is our part? Apart from disease, we are given the opportunity to be strong of mind and body. This gift is not to be taken lightly, because our actions will influence that strength. Daily choosing to renew the mind and body helps us be the best version of ourselves, and prepares us to be the hero in someone else's story if needed.