The Falling Man

I just got through watching 9/11 The Falling Man. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXnA9FjvLSU Many things going through my mind. I have jumped from what feels like some high places. From my roof, from a high school building, from a 60-70 foot cliff into water, from an airplane skydiving. But to think about being in the World Trade Center as it is burning as smoke is filling the rooms and stair wells and heat that can only be unimaginable and to be so desperate that someone would knock out a window just to breathe then come to the realization of burning or suffocating to death that they would rather jump out to a 1000 foot drop and ultimately to their death really blows my mind. Listening to the loved ones of those that died in 9/11 also makes me think about the pettiness in life. About my pettiness in life. The things I get wrapped up in, the things I get mad about, the things I let bother me, the times I am too harsh with my daughters, the times I am selfish with my wife. As I listen to people talk about their loved ones that died prematurely who they can no longer talk to and laugh with and be with, I think about how ungrateful and petty and selfish I can be with those that I still have. I am sorry Diane how you feel treated by me. I am thinking about you today. Why do things like 9/11 happen? Two thoughts. First is that to have true love, genuine love and authentic love there has to be choice. When two people choose to love each other that is true and authentic. When there is not choice, when one is forced to be in a relationship we would all agree that isn't true love, in fact that is wrong. To be forced into something against your will is wrong. So it is with the Creator of our Universe. God made us for relationship but not a forced one. He gives us choice. For God wants true love from us, not forced love. Because forced love is not genuine, not real. But with choice comes the decision to choose otherwise. The decision to choice evil and selfishness. People in the world choose evil and selfishness. We all do, at times. The consequences of those choices are things like 9/11. So what's the flipside? Is there any redemption out of 9/11? What is our natural gut reaction to a horror like 9/11? To Pray. Life can cause you to pray. Praying is a connection with God. It is one step in the process of relationship with God. Pray. Are we compelled to pray with comfort and success and everything going right in our life? Not as much. But almost universally we pray in tragedy. We pray because life is beyond our comprehension at times. We ask God for comfort, for healing, for a miracle, for understanding. Many times the answers to those prayers don't come in a package that we want or even in a way that we can recognize. The cool thing is that God always answers prayers. Yes.... NO.... Wait....
What are you praying about today?