I still get chills watching the film footage of planes slamming into the World Trade Center on 09/11/01, the buildings falling, and people screaming and running. I’m immediately transported back to that day and how life unfolded in the aftermath. When would the next attack happen? Would we ever feel safe again?
As many Americans did, I
clung to my faith. No matter what, God was with us. Tragic things happen in
this world, yet we foolishly believed they didn’t happen here—at least not on
that large of a scale.
On 9/11, and in the days and
weeks to follow, political party lines were erased. President Bush reassured us
from the top of the Twin Towers rubble with a bullhorn in his hand and again,
days later, when he bravely walked to the center of a major league baseball
field and threw out the first pitch. Congress stood arm-in-arm on the steps of
the Capitol and sang God Bless America. We were one people with one voice
joined in determination to protect what America stood for—freedom.
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| Josh's 7th birthday party |
But there was another angle
to 9/11 for my family. My son Josh turned seven years old that day. We had
serendipitously celebrated with a party the Saturday before. The naïve belief
in our nation’s security that the party-goers and our family appreciated three
days before the attacks was shattered, much like Pearl Harbor had done decades
before. Though Josh has enjoyed birthdays since, they’ve never quite been the
same.
My son’s generation has grown
up in the shadow of the war on terror. Some of his earliest memories are of his
country going to war—a war brought to our shores as it had been sixty years
earlier. I had a difficult time making sense out of the attack and an even more
difficult time explaining it to him.
Born out of this tragedy was
renewed patriotism for many Americans, young and old alike. The scenes of
firefighters running into towers that eventually collapsed on them had a
profound effect on Josh, as it did for many of his generation. The
firefighters’ sacrifice instilled in him a sense of duty toward his country and
fellow man. Many like Josh were galvanized into action, even though at a young
age of 7, he could only be angry that it happened.
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| 18th birthday |
Americans changed in the
years following the attack. We’re all battle weary from the evil perpetrated on
us that clear September morning and the wars and terror since. We learned on
9/11 that the bubble of security we’d foolishly wrapped ourselves in did not
exist. Every year seems to bring a new normal of what terror looks like and a
renewed sense that we are impotent to protect ourselves from it.
But we also reaffirmed
something Americans knew before the attacks. Americans pull together for the
good of all. Americans overcome. As we pause to honor the victims of 9/11
today, let us do so with the spirit of hope their lives represented. It’s a
thought that’s desperately needed in our current social and political climate
when Americans now seem most interested in things that divide.
We must never give up hope.
You will be secure, because
there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety. Job 11:18
Even in his worst trial, Job
had hope. We have a duty as Christians to reject despair, rejoice in the hope
found in Christ Jesus, and go about the daily business of life—no matter what
tragedies befall us.
Life truly is how you choose
to frame it.
9/11 symbolizes America’s
heartache and perseverance, but it’s also a symbol of one of the greatest days
of my life—the day my son was born.
While we mourn with those who
mourn, rejecting despair is imperative to the Christian life and witness. Good
can arise from the worst circumstances. We only have to look to the 9/11
survivor stories to know this is true. It’s
only through God, that during the dark times, we can experience the light of
eternal hope (Romans 5:1-5).
Do you have a special Bible verse you turn to in adversity—maybe
even during the 9/11 terrorist attacks or their aftermath? I’d love for you to share it.
Leave a comment to inspire other readers and for a chance to win a kindle copy
of my devotional, While I’m Waiting: Going from despair to hope while praising God and choosing contentment during trials.
If you need prayer, please share in the comments or email me confidential requests. I'd love to pray for you.
If you need prayer, please share in the comments or email me confidential requests. I'd love to pray for you.
God bless you all,
Laura
© Laura Hodges Poole
“One World Trade Center Tower”
image courtesy of Franky242/FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
“Despair or Hope” image courtesy
of Stuart Miles/FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
