The Difference of Seventy Five Feet

Seventy five feet.

The distance of seventy five feet is not far. Just about the same length as a basketball court. Imagine walking from one end of a basketball court to the other end. It would not take that long. Now imagine running from one end of a basketball court to the other end. It would feel even shorter. There is a significance in the seventy five feet...

On September 11, 1999, I visited the World Trade Center for the first time. I was living in New York working at a childrens' ministry with a group of amazing people from all over the world. Seeing the city from the top of the towers was incredible. Some of the best three years of my life were in New York City. I never knew one day I would be standing there again, but volunteering next to the rubble of what was left.  

Two years later, on September 11, 2001, I stood on the top of our office building in Brooklyn and watched both towers fall. Complete shock. All these years later, it still shocks me. So many lives lost. So many stories. So many sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, family members, and friends who are still dealing with the loss. So many people wishing loss was just a season…

In December of 2016, I went to the 9/11 memorial. I sat in the small room that has the pictures of the people who lost their lives flashing on the walls with the voices of family members describing who they were. I sat there with tears streaming down my face, trying not to break down sobbing. Incredibly heartbreaking, especially when I heard the voices of the siblings speak of their brother or sister they lost...

Then I walked to another area and saw a memorial with the brief story of a man with a red bandana. That week in New York, I bought the book The Red Bandanna to learn more about this man. 

Seventy five feet. 

The story is about Welles Crowther. He had a job working at the Twin Towers, but his dream was to be a firefighter and he was in the process of making that a reality before that horrible day. When Welles was younger, his father gave him a red bandana for his back pocket before church one Sunday. Throughout his life, he was known for having a red bandana with him most days. Several of the survivors of the 9/11 attacks described being saved by a man in a red bandana. The book describe the series of events that connect all of the pieces of the story.  I highly recommend it for may reasons...one being to honor the family. 

Seventy five feet. 

Survival stories have always captivated me. People who experience unbelievable challenges, yet manage to survive. The bittersweet part of many of their stories is that they were able to survive because of the sacrifice of someone else. Welles Crowther was that someone else.

On 9/11, there was a command post set up in the South Tower lobby that was used for the evacuation efforts. John Ryan, the commander of the Port Authority Police Department’s rescue and recovery operation at ground zero, described it as this:

"The command post was selected so that responders coming in from the street would be able to go to it with relative ease. He understood what that meant for the families of those rescued in or near that spot; they were close to making it out of the building, to the safety of the street, to the rest of their lives. People found in that area were seconds away from being clear."

                                            ~ Tom Rinaldi. The Red Bandanna: A life. A choice. A legacy. 

                                                                      

He estimated the distance to the exits at seventy five feet.

It was in this area, six months after the 9/11 attacks, Welles was found, along with several other firefighters. 

Seventy five feet.

They were only seventy five feet from safety. Seventy five feet from being comfortable. Seventy five feet from seeing their family members. Seventy five feet from being safe.

Now…one more time…imagine running from one end of a basketball court to another. That is how close all of those that were found would have been able to run to safety. 

The truth is the majority of us will never be in this situation. We will not have to save someone from a burning building. We will not have to make a decision to physically risk our life for the sake of another. So why am I sharing this story? Because when I finished reading this book a couple of weeks ago, this story struck me the most. It convicted me. I found myself looking at my own life as a command post, but in a different context…asking myself these questions. 

Am I taking risks or playing it safe?

Am I staying in the command post or running seventy five feet to safety?

I understand that many people think moving to a foreign third world country is taking risks. I get it and to a degree, it can be. Moving to Haiti was definitely a decision that made me realize the incredible benefits of not playing it safe. This is my calling. This is where I have been placed to use my God-given gifts and abilities. But the truth that I've learned and am still learning that we can still play it safe within our calling and within our God-given gifts and abilities.  

Seventy five feet

You can run to safety, but someone else might be affected by it. You can run to safety, but you might not fully live to your potential. You can run to safety, but you might never discover your true purpose on this earth. You can run to safety, but your kids will not get the chance to see sacrifice or obedience or perseverance. You can run to safety, but then all you will be is safe. 

This year, let’s live our lives, knowing that we can run to a safe life, but choose not to. 

Let’s choose to be kind to every single person we meet, even if it requires some sacrifice, time, or money. 

Let’s choose to go after the dreams God has put in our hearts, even if we don’t feel qualified. 

Let’s choose to not just be a parent, but be the best parents.  

Let’s choose to not have a marriage, but have the best marriage.

Let's choose to not just be single, but make the season of singleness the best season.  

Let’s choose to not just think about helping the poor, but actually help the poor. 

Let’s choose to not just see people, but to see people with God’s eyes. 

Let’s choose to not just have the same group of friends, but invite someone else in who needs a friend. 

Let’s choose to not just be like everyone else, but be set apart. 

Let’s choose to not be discouraged, but when we do, do for someone what we would want someone to do for us. 

Let’s choose to not just think about encouraging someone, but actually do it by sending a letter or a gift or a text or maybe go WAY outside the box and even given them a phone call. 

Let’s choose to not gossip about someone and taint their reputation, but pray for them and ask God to change their heart and ours in the process.

Let’s choose to not just live in the past, but wait in expectancy for the future, believing God to do new things. 

Most importantly, let’s choose to not just have a relationship with Jesus, but have the best relationship with Jesus,

Seventy five feet.

We all have a command post set up in our lives. There will be times we run to safety, but Jesus can lead us back to a place of surrender. That is where I want to live. I don’t want to live a safe life. I don’t want to be comfortable in my calling. I don’t want to get to the end of my life and wish I didn't fulfill all that God had for my life. I want to live within the seventy five feet and I pray you do, too.