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A Year Later .... It is hard to believe that a year has passed since the lives of Americans were turned upside down. I suspect that we as a country look upon September 11, 2001 as we look upon Pearl Harbor. Many good people lost their lives - ordinary, everyday people. Heroes were born and died amidst the rubble that once was the twin towers. Many questions have yet to be answered, the biggest and hardest of these is "Why?" The answer to that question, I fear, may never truly be answered. And now, a year later, where do we stand? What has become of this nation in the year gone by? We're still attempting to track down those responsible and bring them to justice. Or should I say, we're still throwing bombs at targets and hoping that we actually destroy what we think that target is supposed to be. I shudder to think of the innocents who have lost their lives due to the "collateral damage" of warfare that we have waged upon an enemy too scared to show itself; an enemy who would rather hide amongst those innocents instead of stand and die for their cause. How ironic it is that those who are the head of that militia are furthest from the line of fire. They rather send in others to die than to step up and take the risk themselves. If what they are trying to accomplish is truly the will of the Almighty, you would think they would be more than happy to accept the task themselves. Makes you wonder if deep down inside they truly believe what they are preaching. It is also ironic, if not a little unsettling, that I question if we believe what we are preaching - if we truly believe in the American dream. I commented a year ago about the sudden influx of people into churches and synogages, and how people suddenly decided to display Old Glory and be proud to be American. The flags, I must say, are still displayed, and that is something I, for one, am happy to see. There is now more pride in "the colors that never run" than there had been for decades. I wish I could say the same for the spirituality of our nation. Granted, there are many who have returned to their roots and found their faith once again. In some odd way, I wonder if that was not the reason why such a tragedy happened in the first place. It is sad that it would take something so horrific to open our eyes and hearts; perhaps in some strange way, maybe those lost souls were fulfilling His wishes. I have a hard time believing that God would allow such violence and suffering to happen merely to get our attention, but knowing how complacent people are until tragedy strikes, it makes some sense to me. Perhaps we should be more open to the needs of those around us and see the goodness and blessings we posess, and be more thankful for all that we have been given. I guess that raises another question: are we thankful for all that we have? There are many people who, due to the tragedy of 9-11, are missing loved ones whom they can never hold again. When we look at those who are a part of our lives, do we look upon them with a greater feeling of love? Do we look more deeply into our spouses' eyes, into the eyes of our children, and say "I love you" with more devotion? I recently bought a couple of Garth Brooks CDs, and one of the songs on one of them is "If Tomorrow Never Comes." I'm sure most people have heard this song. One of the lyrics poses the question "will the love I gave [her] in the past be enough to last if tomorrow never comes?" I think it is a question more people have been asking themselves since 9-11. If you can not answer yes to that question, then I feel it is time to start doing more - loving more - that you would be able to answer yes. I think one of the biggest regrets people have is not having said or done enough to show someone how much they mean to them and that person is suddenly taken from them. That being said, I ask two things of you. The first is to tell all those whom you love that you love them - call them, email them, whatever you have to do to do so, but do it. And do it as often as humanly possible. The second is something much more difficult - be kind, warm, loving, and patient to those whom you cannot get along with. Try to show love to them. It is a challenge, a test of the heart. If we all did so, the amount of hatred and violence in this world would be almost non-existent. There is one other thing I think we should all attempt to do, and that is cling fast to our faith, whatever it may be. We have become a nation that lives with fear on a daily basis. Our national sense of security was compromised greatly one year ago. Yet, if we have faith, there should be no place for fear in our lives. My faith is in Christ, more so now than it ever had been in the years gone by. In this faith, I have felt His presence with me in my daily life - felt it as though I could reach out and touch Him as I could anyone around me. I wish that I could describe this feeling of such great peace better than that, and wish even more so that I could share it with you directly. It is incredible to be able to walk the road of life and know that you are not alone, even with no one else around. I pray for those who have no faith, and I feel very sad for them. These are the ones who will suffer the most when tragedy strikes, for they have nothing to fall back upon. I pray that somehow God is able to reach out and grab hold of their hearts, and that it does not take a tragedy in their lives to make them aware of His presence and His love for them. For those of you who have faith, I pray that you are never so blinded by it that you do not see God's love for those who do not believe exactly what you believe or do not worship Him as you worship Him. This blindness has caused much suffering throughout the centuries, and still does. I pray that you see all those around you as brothers and sisters; children of the one God who loves us all, even those who have gone astray. Pray for the lost souls that they may find their way back. In closing, I leave you with
this thought - something I have seen on quite a few bumper stickers - and that
is "No Fear." And this is why .....
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And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him,
who have been called according to His purpose.
W. Clifford |
