Famous Last Words

“Let the words of my mouth meet with your favor, keep the thoughts of my heart before you, Lord, my rock and redeemer.” Psalm 19: 15

Today we remember and we will never forget.

What is stressing you today? What is bothering you? Is there anything causing you to lose sleep or fell anxious with worry? Do you believe the lies others tell you about yourself or are you trying to live up to standards that others have set for you? Do you feel like a failure? What is the measure of “success” that you are striving for? Perhaps you wonder what life is all about or if what you work so hard for is worth it?

I have a feeling that these were the kinds of questions that daily crossed the minds of many of the people who perished on September 11, 2001 in the Twin Towers. That is, until they were faced with imminent death and the stark reality of their own fragility, their own helplessness, their own mortality. And in those moments, between when the planes hit and the buildings fell, many of them were able to make phones calls and talk to loved ones, 911 dispatchers or leave voice mail messages. And you know what? At THAT moment, under THOSE black and white, life and death instances, each of those people talked about family, about love, about God, about forgiveness. They told parents and spouses and friends to take care of those left behind, they said good-bye, they saw in fine detail the only real important things in life. And they spoke the Truth.

With their last words and last breaths, they reminded us to have perspective and to see the BIG picture, the eternal picture. The reality that life is precious and precarious. That we need to let things roll off us, that we need to stop sweating the small stuff. That we need to live for others, not for what others think of us. That we need to love and love big and love deeply and love unconditionally. That we need to forgive and stop holding grudges. That we need to be prepared to meet our Lord at anytime.

What started for so many that morning as a “normal” day ended with the dawn of eternity. And their greatest legacy is what they left behind for us: their courage, their hope against hope, their voices, their now famous last words. May we never have to endure something like this again, but may we also never lose sight of the Truths taught to us by strangers caught in the fleeting moments between life and certain death.

Dear Jesus, welcome into Your eternal Kingdom all the innocent victims of this horrible day. May we honor them by remembering their last words and living for You with the knowledge that each day could be our last. Amen.