From The Editor: The Importance of Remembering

Remembering is important for many reasons.

We remember consequences so we don’t keep making the same mistakes.

We remember pain so we can celebrate healing and wholeness.

We remember through grief so that we never forget love.

We remember the darkness in order to marvel in the beauty of the light.

We remember the history of God’s goodness so we can trust in His faithfulness for the future.

For those of us around age 30 and older, we remember where we were and what we were doing on September 11, 2001. I was in my fifth-grade morning math class in Texas when I heard someone mention the World Trade Center for the first time. I had no idea what they were talking about, but I knew it was bad that a plane had crashed into it. We continued on with our day, but everyone was distracted and distressed.

After school, I went with my friend to her parents’ gas station where we watched footage of the unfolding disaster on the tiny TV mounted in the corner of the room. I didn’t really understand any of it, but every customer that came in just stopped and stared at the TV with us. Everyone was quiet and sad, devastated for complete strangers across the country. A current of empathy and sorrow ran through our town, tinged with anger and fear. But it mostly felt like grief and loss. I had never felt particularly patriotic, but on that day, I was an American, standing with my fellow countrymen in our disbelief and sadness.

The further we get from tragedy, the more important it is to remember why those moments matter.

In Texas history, we “Remember the Alamo,” not just as a catchy thing to declare, but because the men and women who died there stood for freedom and community, giving their lives because they believed in a better future for their families. It’s been almost 200 years, but it still brings Texans a sense of pride and unity.

We remember 9/11 not simply because our nation was attacked, but because that heartbreaking day brought us all together, united in sorrow, love, and anguish. After 25 years, perhaps some of the shock has faded, but the warmth of community and the feeling of patriotism endure.

I remember my mother, not just because she is gone, but because she lived, leaving a beautiful legacy of faith and love. The seven years I’ve spent without her feel like forever and just a day all at once — less sharp, but no less poignant for the time elapsed.

Today, while my body is in pain, I remember the blessing of all the yesterdays when I lived and moved pain-free. This reminds me to praise God for His goodness, thanking Him for the blessings of the past while hoping and praying for a kinder tomorrow. God has moved mountains in the past, so today I can believe He will do so again. And even if He does not, even if the answer is “no,” He is still good, and His blessings abound.

Remembering can be an extremely helpful, therapeutic process. But it can also lead to darkness if it shifts from recalling and reframing to dwelling and despair.

Healthy remembering requires a certain amount of letting go. If you focus solely on hurt and grief, you can easily be swept under. Yes, we experienced tragedy. Yes, we have been wronged. Yes, it hurt an unimaginable amount. But if we stay there, we won’t grow. We won’t see any light or goodness. We won’t notice God’s faithfulness.

You are allowed to feel hurt. Even Jesus wept in sorrow at the loss of his friend, Lazarus. But he didn’t dwell in despair, instead rising to move forward after allowing himself to feel the grief.

It takes practice to step past the hurt to see what’s happening around us as we grieve. If we manage to look up, we can see a community quietly surrounding us in support. We’ll see small steps toward healing. We’ll see the beauty of the past and of the process, even through the pain.

As we remember the tragedy of September 11, 2001, let us not dwell on the darkness of the day, but instead choose to look up and around. Remember the thousands of volunteers working tirelessly to care for the first responders and grieving families. See the neighbors who didn’t get along the day before now coming together to pray. Watch the children who didn’t really understand what was happening experience deep unity and love even in the midst of our darkest day.

God was in every moment, faithfully providing miracle after miracle, even on that terrible day. If He was faithful then, why wouldn’t He be faithful now? That realization is why we should never forget.

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful,” (Hebrews 10:23).