The morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, I was sitting at my kitchen table eating breakfast and reading the morning paper before getting ready for work. Such as my “custom” was, I also had the TV news on that morning as well.
Just after 6:03 a.m. (PDT), as I was watching the news coverage of “a fire” in the World Trade Center, I noticed this airplane-looking shape heading towards the other tower. The newscasters’ reaction was the same as mine. All of us were watching that second plane hit the second tower on live television.
My wife and I were still newlyweds, having gotten married in April of that year. She had already left the house with my stepson and took him to her parent’s house so they could take him to school while she had just started her workday. I called her at work to tell her what was occurring. She said that the office was already buzzing about it.
Since I worked for one of the major telecommunications carriers at the time, I figured I needed to get into the office to take care of my customers with offices in the NYC area. On my way in to the office, at 6:59 a.m. (PDT), I heard the news on the radio that one of the towers had collapsed.
I didn’t stay long at the office. Although our building wasn’t considered a high-rise, it was located across the street from John Wayne Airport. Our managers gave us the okay to return to our homes and work remotely. Seeing JWA airport looking like an airplane parking lot was really strange.
Today, it’s been eight years since the United States was attacked. It seems that it didn’t even take eight years for the events of 9/11 to become politicized and divisive. There are those that believe that our own government conspired to bring the towers down and kill thousands of Americans. It’s sad, really. Back then it seemed like for even a short while, the whole country was united by a common bond of solidarity. Although we couldn’t say for sure what nation was our enemy, we knew we had an enemy called Islamo-fascist terrorism.
I remember a few years back when we visited Hawaii and Pearl Harbor for the first time. We spoke with one of the Pearl Harbor Survivors who worked as a docent there. He explained how all the survivors of Pearl Harbor didn’t harbor any resentment towards the Japanese soldiers who attacked us. He added that it was a military operation against men and women who signed up to defend their country as soldiers. The 9/11 attackers didn’t seek out soldiers, they sought out and killed civilians. Big difference.
Sure, not all followers of Islam profess to kill all infidels. But Islam as a religion is at war with all non-Islamic people. We, as a nation, have a God-given right to defend ourselves from those that would seek our destruction. We also have a God-given responsibility to love our enemies and pray for those that seek to harm us (Matthew 5:44).
Be sure to take some time today to pray for those held captive by Islam. That those who are blinded by a desire to kill “the infidels” see the blinding light of Jesus. Pray for the defense of our nation and its citizens. Pray that all peoples of all nations would respond to the good news of the gospel and give their lives to Christ.
HT: Barry Yanowitz
May He Increase!
Brother Joe, I feel part of the problem we have today with Radical Islam is caused by the Churches failure to evangelize in the last century, and failure to be Spirit lead in the last millennium
At one time I struggled to understand how the blood of the martyrs wold run in the streets at the end of the end. Now I get it. .
Will, agreed. And your last statement is definitely one of the most profound I’ve read in awhile. Thank you for sharing.
Joe,
I was on the road on Friday and didn’t see this post until tonight when I finished my homework. I remember 9/11 quite well and the shock that came with it. I spent much of that day doing my job and driving from hospital to hospital in disbelief at what I was hearing and seeing. I agree with your prayer that many would be overwhelmed by the Light of the World and fall at His feet.
Yeah, I spent a couple hours watching the continuous coverage on History Channel of programs about the day and DVR’ed a few. I suppose even a part of me has forgotten, too.