What profound thing can I dare to say about 9/11 when many others have already exhausted their eloquence?
Because I am not a TV watcher, I didn't absorb those days weeks of dramatic pictures patter last fall, I have not been overcome with shock dismay to the degree others have.
That's not to say I don't care. I do. I've been wiping tears at the stories of 911 in Guideposts, or on the radio, or some other media. Personal story telling always touches my spirit. I am not hard-hearted. I'm just realistic and discerning enough to notice that others have been deeply, deeply affected. Forever.
Obviously some don't want to "get over it" but others are so devastated they can't cope with normal life any more. So I've been thinking this week as the one year mark rolls closer, - What does it mean when one's cup is brimming over?
In Sunday School we used to sing a wee chorus with the lines,
"Since the Lord saved me,
I'm as happy as can be
My cup is full running over!"
It implies our cup is our soul, in that case our soul is running over with happiness or joy.
If your cup is your soul, does it always brim over with happiness? Yours may be over-flowing with intense hurts memories of 911 last year. Is that healthy?
Although I'm quite sensitive, I can get very emotional, I've been picturing my cup as mostly mental of late. It may all depend on which we use most; that's what fills our cup. At times my mind is just teaming with ideas and things to do, then story plots come creeping in unexpectedly too. What to do?
Leave a cup with leftover coffee or tea too long, it gets - well, bitter, or way too strong.
In the same way, our soul can get too full. How should it be safely emptied without treating those memories of 911 like dirt? The trauma horror of watching those towers burn fall just doesn't allow itself to be so easily filed, does it? You would like rest a measure of closure, but not to destroy all that you felt and remember, do you?
Here's my advice then; simply pour it out before the Lord as an incense offering to Him. Splash a bit at a time, or pour it all out at once, but it will ease thefullness in your soul, give relief.
It will also create room for fresh living waters to be poured into your soul. Think how delicious a fresh cool drink would be for your soul!
Just today I asked a friend who has come back into my life after a number of years of no contact, what she would do if her cup was brimming over. Lorraine emailed right back, "Personally - I pour it out on the feet of Jesus. I have had many opportunities since becoming a Christian, [over 30 years]; there were many times BC [before Christ] when I had no idea anyone else was listening or caring. Wow, what a difference to know I am not alone in the hard times.
"In Anne of Green Gables, Anne in her dramatic way says something to the effect that she is 'despairing of life.' Marilla tells her how wrong that is - something about turning your back on God when you despair. I think that is often the case; I have found that in my despair things only get worse. No solution comes.
"When I turn to God I may not like the solution at first but eventually I appreciate His way. just knowing that there can be a solution brings peace. When Julie was first ill [deathly ill] - there was fear, great fear; maybe despair is a more honest word. I told God I didn't like it. I refused to let God have His way in my heart. My tears were very painful, fearful, despairing.
"Over time I learned to turn to God every time I cried. Now I rarely cry without thinking of my Father's care [even in movies]. Then I pray for people who may be suffering in the same way."
Amen to that, Lorraine! I too, have been surfeited with emotional mental anguish, found great relief in pouring it all out before the Lord. This is a spiritual dimension thing, so it is hard to explain to those who have never tried it, but I recommend it highly.
They say if your cup is bumped, only what is inside you will spill out. Is your cup bumping spilling deep intense pain grief over the 911 tragedy? Then take a hold of your cup - your soul - pouring it deliberately out before the Lord right now. Don't forget to ask for a filling of His refreshing, living water.
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