Lest We Forget

Scriptural meditation: 2 Chronicles 7:14

September 11, 2001, is a date that very few of us will forget. I was living in Charlotte, N.C., at the time and my routine was reversed that morning. While I normally watched the morning news shows to get an update on what had taken place over night, on that morning, I woke up early so I could finish grading writing assignments I would return to the students in my 9:30 a.m. class. I wrapped up the grading and prepared for work. I was listening to the urban radio station on my drive to work, and I recall hearing the report of the first airplane. The initial report was that seven or eight people were hurt or wounded.

For some reason, that report didn’t make much sense. By the time I reached the building and got in the elevator, students were frantic and everyone was talking about what had just happened. It would not be business as usual. We initially tried to piece together what each of us had heard but nothing made sense. The students tried to get online to see if they could locate reports, but the system was jammed. I left the students and went to my department’s office where other faculty and staff members were huddled around a television. By then, the Pentagon had been struck and details were slowly emerging.

I returned to my students and told them what I learned, and we did the best we could to go on with business as usual. However, as we all know, life would not be business as usual. Our lives, as well as the lives of thousands of others who lost fathers, mothers, spouses, and children, would never be the same.

In December 2005, I visited Ground Zero on a cold New York day. Without the memorial panels and the placards detailing the events, one would think it was just another construction site surrounded by fences. Yet, we all know it is not just an ordinary site; rather, it is a site that marks the day our lives as Americans began to change.

The Sunday following the attacks, the news media visited local churches where there was record attendance across the board. People needed answers and we sought them in our faith communities.

However, since September 11, 2001, the answers have not arrived. We are no closer to the truth about the attacks of that day or those that have followed.

This week, I implore you to pray for our country, its leaders, our troops, and the family and friends of those who lost their lives on Sept. 11 and in wars ignited since.

When we do not know what to do or say, we can rely on God’s words:
2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV)

14If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Stay encouraged and on the King’s Highway!