Each year
on the anniversary of the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, I am overtaken
by a flood of emotions. Democrat and Republican, liberal and conservative, blah
blah blah...it didn't matter. So many
people I know had some sort of connection to the attacks and a nation came
together and mourned. A number of things
about that day come immediately to mind:
1) As I
stood in the small cafe in the office park where I worked at the time and
watched the second plane slammed into Tower 2, it became immediately clear that
this was an intentional act and life as an American would never be the same.
Fourteen years later, our nation has implemented controversial security
measures that have prevented another attack yet I can't help but wonder at what
cost. Our federal government now collects heretofore-unimaginable amounts of
data about average citizens just living their lives. Police departments around
the country more closely resemble the military unit I was in as a US Marine in
the 1980s'. Closer to home, a couple of weeks ago when I attended a high school
football game, an armed deputy sheriff stood at the gate with his hand resting
all-too comfortably on the handle of his gun. It is sad that one of the results
of these terror attacks is the perception of a police state in which we now
seem to live. Did the terrorists win after all?
2) I
wondered at the time what kind of world my son would inherit from our
generation. He was only a few months old at the time and my daughter wasn't
even born yet. I wondered what they would think about our handling of these
attacks, later threats, and how the United States would present itself on the
world stage. With the benefit of
hindsight and the opportunity to learn from our mistakes, what might they do
differently as the torch of leadership is passed to them in the coming years. Liberal
or conservative, Democrat or Republican, none of the above: will they
understand that collectively as a nation we elected the people we thought at
the time would best represent us and that in spite of the deep differences in
worldview, we genuinely did the best we could at the time?
3)
America showed up for church in the weeks that followed in numbers not seen in
over a generation. So many people turned to God and filled the pews of our churches.
In some instances, they were comforted by messages intended to reflect
patriotism telling them that our nation was strong and would endure this
challenge. Many, too many, heard a lot more about nationalism and not nearly
enough about the risen Christ. America
showed up for church and a lot of churches failed those people by pointing them
towards Christ only in passing, as an afterthought. Those lost souls deserved better. I am
grateful that God placed me in this world, in this nation, at this point in
history BUT that is secondary to my love of Jesus Christ and His atoning death
on the cross at Calvary. We should have made much more of Jesus and not so much
of the United States. America showed up at church; a lot of churches let her
down. I wonder how different our nation might be if thousands of those people
had accepted the gospel?
God has
blessed my wife and I with two amazing kids who are growing up to be wonderful
young adults who love the Lord. We live in a wonderful community with other
families who, like us, just want to raise their kids, enjoy their grandkids,
and live peaceful, quiet lives. I pray often for the families who lost loved
one in the attacks. I pray often for the families who lost first responders who
died trying to save others simply because that was their job. I pray often for
the leaders of our nation that they might seek God Almighty as a key part of
their decision-making process. I pray often for our churches that they may have
a heart for our communities, our nation, and the world, even places where many
would wish us harm. I pray often that God would help me to stay close to him
and keep me clean.
I will never forget what happened fourteen years ago this morning. Honestly, I don’t think I can.
I will never forget what happened fourteen years ago this morning. Honestly, I don’t think I can.