never forget

september 11th, 2001. i will never forget. i mean that.

but not necessarily in the way that i think it is often meant. i see many pictures of that day and the aftermath with the caption "never forget," as if to say that we should continue to hunt down those who did this and retaliate. the underlying thinking is that if we hold on to our pain it is easier to maintain the kind of anger and hatred that it takes to sustain a war.

but that's not why i'm remembering. my commitment not to forget that day and the pain i felt and the pain our whole nation felt and the incredible amount of loss we all felt is not about anger or resentment or hatred or revenge. it is about something altogether different. i never want to forget the intense reality of brokenness which that day represents for me. it is the most poignant reminder for me of the 'not-yet-ness' of God's kingdom, as in, "thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." we yearn for God's kingdom to come, to keep coming, today. but even as we yearn, and even as we see signs of hope and life and light in that yearning, and even as we embody that kingdom, the whole thing is not yet fully redeemed. there is still so much pain and brokenness and hurt. still so many tears. and i will not forget that brokenness. and i will not forget the way people rallied and helped each other, either. i will not allow myself to escape the memory of broken buildings and broken lives. because i will also not allow myself to to stop believing that there is One who will heal all the brokenness and wipe away all the tears and redeem it all. come, lord Jesus. come.