Never Forget

Ten years ago, I was sitting in Mrs. Sullivan's Pre-AP English class, probably clueless as to what was going on. Why I was in a pre-ap English class in the first place?...I'll never know. When out of the blue, another student barged into the classroom and told Mrs. Sullivan to turn on the TV. She did, even though she was confused as to why she was listening to a student giving orders.

The TV came on and we flipped the channels until it was on the news. I remember I kept hearing all this stuff about the World Trade Center. The Twin Towers. Building One. And then I saw something I'll never forget. This "Building Two" they were speaking of was hit by an airplane. What was going on? Where the heck was this World Trade Center place? Was it in Tulsa? Downtown somewhere? New York? Oklahoma City? What was going on? Who were these people? How many died?

I went to Spanish class after that. We watched the news.

I went to Algebra 1 for my third hour. We watched the news.

I went to lunch. The Frank (where we ate lunch) all had the TV's on the news. Everyone watched in silence and confusion.

For the rest of the day, we hardly did any school work. We watched what was going on in our nation.

Then I remember hearing stuff about a "terrorist attack". What was a terrorist? Who are terrorists? Why did they do this? What was the big deal about the World Trade Center?

And then I heard about the Pentagon being hit. Who is in the Pentagon? Was someone trying to kill the President? Gosh, I just felt so darn naive, but I think I'm allowed to be a little confused as a 14-year-old.

Fast forward ten years. I'm more mature. More aware. More sensitive. More in tune with what's going on in our world. More sadness has come over me over these past ten years as the details of that horrific event have unfolded. But at the same time, I've also been overwhelmed with pride at this amazing country we live in.

I had the best conversation with my best friend, Megan, last night. We were just talking about all of these stories we heard this weekend that we had never heard before. I was watching a Dateline special about the men and women on the United 93 flight. They intervied the women who lost their husbands on that flight and the conversations they had with their spouses just minutes before they took their last breath. Wow. Those people who fled the cockpit and caused that plane to run into an open field are my new heros. What passion. What drive. What heart. What courage.

Did you know that one of the men on that flight called to an air traffic control lady and recited the Lord's Prayer with her right before they crashed the plane? Unbelievable. I'd like to think that if I knew I was going to die within minutes that I'd still be giving praise to God. I like that those stories have been told to the world. People need to hear that God was and is sovereign, even in times such as the tragedy of September 11, 2001.

Do we need to dwell on the sadness of 9-11-01? No. Do we need to remain in fear and look at everyone with a suspicious and watchful eye? Not at all. Do we need to mourn and cry and worry from now on? Absolutely not.

But. Do we need to recognize the heroes of that event and the sacrifices they made for this country? Absolutely. Do we need to constantly thank and praise God for instilling bravery into our soldiers and Police officers and Firefighters for risking their lives every day just so that we can live another day in peace here? Most definitely. Do we need to remember the events of 9-11? Of course.

More importantly, we need to remember and acknowledge the fact that we, as a nation and as believers, are more than conquerors and that we are victorious in this battle against evil! God will deliver justice on judgment day, but until that day, we need to keep our heads high, fight the good fight and proclaim the name of Jesus Christ, because HE is our Lord and Savior! Our Mighty Warrior! Our King! Our Refuge and Strength!

The events of September 11th may have taken the lives of more than 2,000 people. But as a country, we're not going to let that horrid event take our spirit. I pray that 9-11 has changed you for the good. I pray that the Lord instilled a fear not from terrorist, but from His powerful love. The fear of God is real and I pray that you have it. If you were not shaken by those events, you need to check yourself, friend. We are but a mist in this life. Life is short, and we never know what's going to happen next. I pray you have firm foundation in Christ and that you know where you're going--Heaven or Hell--when you die.

I was encouraged by this piece of scripture today and I pray that you are too.

God bless you all. God bless America. We will never forget.

I love you all so very much.