Saturday, September 10, 2011

FROM TRAGEDY TO TRIUMPH

     Where were you when the world stop turning on that September Day?  It has been said that September 11, 2001 was a "High Holy Day" because so many turned to prayer for solace and comfort when they didn't have any where else to turn.  Why is it we tend to turn to prayer as a last resort?  Well, I guess all we can do now is pray.  To me it should be the first, middle and last thing we should do and then thank God Almighty when we do come out of what ever we're going through.

     Some people have wondered what we did to deserve those attacks on September 11th.  One thing I feel we did started back in 1962 when the Supreme court ruled in a 6-3 decision to not allow prayer in the public school system.  In fact, I feel many of social problems and turmoil stem back to that decision.  The protective hand of God was lifted off of our nation at least temporarily.

     We serve a loving God; a just God.  He is the same yesterday, today and forever.  There are times, however that I feel that God wants to capture our attention.  He is a jealous God.  Ye shall worship no other gods before me.  There are points in time that God allows certain things to happen to recapture that attention so we will return to Him in prayer so he can receive all the glory.

     I remember very distinctly what I was doing that September morning back in 2001.  I was on my sales route going through my regular routine.  One of my stops had the T.V. on and of course all stations and all focus was on the twin towers repeatedly showing those planes flying into the World Trade Center towers.  Every one knew that their lives would never be the same from that point on.  Life in America as we knew was changed.  Even though I live in fly over country where no terrorist would begin to plot an attack due to the low concentration that would lead to minimal impact,  I was still affected.  For some loved ones around me the fact that this occurred on 911 a signal of emergency made a strong impression.  As of this day all would change.  Some of our freedoms would be infringed upon, travel would be incumbered by invasive inspections and many things would no longer be taken for granted.  Eventually millions of families would be affected knowing that their loved ones would be thrust into wars on several fronts trying to find the offenders and avenge the acts conducted on our soil that fateful day.

     In the days and weeks that followed things were very different.  In one sense many things occurred while in another sense nothing happened.  There was a flurry of activity out of panic and a flurry of inactivity due to uncertainty.  In New York, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C.  the flurry of activity centered around search and rescue, recovery and the insuing consolation that needed to occur.  While the rest of the nation came to almost a complete stand still.  I lived at the time on a quiet side street in Clinton, IA that was situated behind  a gas station.  The gas line started at the station wrapped around the block and stretched down a full block that ran in front of my house.  Talk about coming to a stand still.  Those cars weren't going any where.  Even when they did creep towards the gas pump they came to the realization that gas price would sky rocket, the housing market would come to a skreetching halt and corporate America including the airlines came to a halt.  But on the activity side we saw several things occur.  Families reconnecting.  Friends reconnecting.  Prayer vigils were every where.  Churches were packed.  The eyes of America had turned to the solace of the one true healing God for comfort and peace.

     As with any tragedy, time heals all wounds.  Once people realized we weren't going to have armored tanks crawling over our hillsides and bombs weren't going to be detinated in our garbage cans and the panic mode had subsided, things went back to normal.  As the years have gone by we have let our guard down and we have gone back to living the life that we want.  About the only thing that is gripping us now is a down turn in the economy and tremedously high gas prices.

     As we approach the 10th anniversary of that fateful day, it is my wish, my hope and yes even my prayer that we will never forget the people who were directly affected by the events of that terrible day.  America lost nearly 3,000 people in that one day.  We lost regular citizens and many first responders.  We have since lost many soldiers that gave up the ultimate sacrifice that gives me the freedom to even spew this stuff now.  We lost a sense of innocense and security.  We have also now lost that touch with God.  It says in his word that if those who are called by name would simply bow down to me, humbly seek my face and turn away from their evil and wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and heal their land.  Who will stand with me in this charge?  Who will share His word, love our neighbor and touch lives around us in a positive way?  If this sort of action and attitude would spread world wide, we would really never have to worry about an attack like that any where ever again.  Of course that would have to mean that every knee would bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord  but wouldn't that be a wonderful world to live in.  Some say it would be heavenly.