Americans who were alive that day, September 25 years ago, will forever remember their exact location when they heard the news of the Twin Towers plummeting to the streets of Manhattan. And, of course, history reminds us that those unprovoked attacks were based on hatred alone, an undeserved slaughter of innocent men and women who were simply doing their jobs.
There are three thousand stories from that day. No, the three thousand number applied only to those who lost their lives. There were hundreds of thousands whose lives changed forever, not because of anything they did, but because of hatred for what those twin towers represented: the love and commitment millions held in their hearts for the nation that gave them every opportunity they wished for to become what they hoped for in their lives, and those who they loved and loved them.
Those lives and thousands of others’ changed in an instant. So did the United States…so did the entire World.
It’s too late for us to change any of those horrendous actions taken by those two dozen zealots from the Middle East. However, it would certainly be good for us to remember the hatred that initiated those horrors that day, continue to hold any who were responsible for any of those unthinkable acts accountable, while at the same time forgiving them.
“Forgiving them? What the heck are you thinking! Why should we forgive those who snuffed out the lives of thousands in an instant solely because of their hatred?”
Because of this: ” For God so loved the World that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him would have everlasting life.”
As tough as that is, as unthinkable as it might be, we need to forgive them. Our forgiveness — if we can muster the power to do so — will not change any of their lives. It’s too late for them. They’re paying the price for their actions. WE must live with the horrors they initiated that snuffed out the lives of thousands who did nothing to deserve what they received.
It’s fitting that we all, on this anniversary of 911 not just think of those lost, but also lift a glass in their honor. If for no other reason, it might help us to drop one more layer of the fear, anger, and hatred for the perpetrators of those tragic murders.
Shrinks tell us forgiveness is the key to winning over the emotions that always accompany loss in our lives. That doesn’t mean we try to flush those painful memories to forget about them. It’s for us to understand that forgiveness is a trait we cannot control. It takes a divine God who, if we ask, will give us the guts to push the anger aside and replace it with love and forgiveness.
That ONLY comes from God.
Join us in a look back at that blockbuster day with President George W. Bush and Condoleezza Rice, who were in the middle of the struggle to get back to normal after this atrocious day. Listen to them share what they faced and how they handled it.
