September 11th- Ten Years Later

Words are and seem so inadequate. Facebook, blogs, news sites, all filled with similar thoughts... "Where were you on 9/11?" Those of us who are old enough to remember, can't help but want to share with others how that day profoundly impacted our lives and the way we view the world in which we live.

For my generation, many of us acknowledged for the first time that evil exists in this world, and then, faced with the likelihood that our country would go to war, and as little more than children ourselves, we had to make very adult decisions of how we would respond. I have so many brave friends who are still serving our country in response to how 9/11 impacted their lives.

Working in student ministry, I'm surrounded by middle and high school students who barely, if at all, remember that day in our nation's history. They don't remember a world without news updates of the terror threat level for that day, or a world without the world on terror, or a world where you could walk your loved on up to their gate at the airport or fly with liquids in your carry-on. They don't remember what it was like watching the 2nd plane hit the World Trade Center, or the panic many of us felt as we tried to make sure loved ones and friends were safe.

Just a month into my freshman year of college, I stood in front of a television, watching with my roommate and the rest of the world, as one of the darkest days in our country's history unfolded. As I watched the news, and then heard about the plane hitting the Pentagon, my fear smashed a million times closer to home than the news of NYC. Was my dad there that day? Were my friends' dads ok? What if someone I know was on that hijacked plane from Reagan? New York City, Washington DC, and a field in Pennsylvania... where would they attack us next? How would America stand up after taking such a blow?

I'll never forget watching the footage of people jumping to their deaths from the unreachable upper floors of the World Trade Center. I was so angry at our news coverage for showing such heart breaking, hopeless moments. If that had been my dad or someone I knew, it would have been so easy to recognize them. Why would they show that? And yet, it was in those moments that I realized just how "real" that situation was. Those buildings were more than just tall towers... they held mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, wives, husbands, and children... and so did the planes that crashed that day.

In the weeks following 9/11, I saw our nation come together. I saw many people turn to God. I know that He works all things together for our good. I know that He is sovereign and that there was always a plan and a purpose in that dark day. Today, on the 10th anniversary, I pray that we're reminded of how close He was to us during that time, and that He continues to be close to us today. I pray that all of the loss, the suffering would not be vain, but instead point usever-closer to the Giver of Life. Yes, 9/11 was a dark, ugly day... but there was a Friday in Jerusalem that was even darker and even uglier. Thanks be to God that because of Jesus' death on the cross, and in His resurrection, we can have hope. Even in hate, and death, Jesus conquers all, and His glory endures forever.