Never Forget

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Ephesians 5:15-17 ESV

Each of our lives is a precious story that must be shared, so the world will never forget our unique chapter of God’s great story. Every page of history is a page of His-story. September 11th is a day on which Americans patriotically declare, “We must never forget!” September 11, 2001, left a deep irrevocable impression on me, but not necessarily for patriotic reasons.

After working for years in the modeling industry, I decided I wanted to pursue a career less compromising to my faith in Jesus Christ. So, I moved on to a new chapter in my life, pursuing a new business I deeply enjoyed. All the while, I knew God was calling me to do something more for His Kingdom. I knew He wanted me to share my testimony of His love and forgiveness with other women, but I was afraid. As a person who had always received a great deal of my self-worth from excelling academically, my past as a model was embarrassing.

How on earth could God take something so vain and worldly and use it for His glory? I wanted to be remembered for something more than great skincare and makeup skills. So, I threw myself into my new business and ignored His call to step out in faith and fulfill my Kingdom purpose.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, I was standing in the living room of a co-worker and friend, when the newscaster announced that two airplanes had crashed into the Twin Towers. We watched as the towers fell, instantaneously inducing a mass exodus of souls into eternity – many having never placed their faith in Jesus Christ.

My friend was not a believer and could not possibly fathom what I did next. I handed her my briefcase, containing the entire infrastructure of the business I had allowed to consume my life - and walked away. God had gotten my attention. This world is full of people who are lost, dying, and going to Hell for all eternity without the gospel of Jesus Christ. My response had been so pathetically inadequate. But, no more.

None of those people could possibly have known the morning of September 11th would be the final page of their story. If they had known, I wonder if they would have filled the page with a different ending.

None of us know how many pages are left in our own story. If we treated each page of each new day as if it was our last, would it have a different ending?

If we poured ourselves and our testimonies of God’s salvation and faithfulness onto the pages of other people’s lives, would their stories have a different ending?

How will the final pages of your story end?

Sin threatens to destroy each of our lives. Whatever ending we choose in this life will determine the pages of our eternity. Jesus died to save the world from sin and Hell. He offers an alternate ending filled with pages of abundant life to be shared with anyone and everyone who will listen. He has called us to be:

“... children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” Philippians 2:15 ESV

We must never forget.