Three Days in History - Day 3 (And Beyond)

(This is the final installment of a three part series. Parts one and two can be found here.)

September 12, 2001

I believe we all woke up that morning knowing that everything was different. How and to what extent, we were not quite sure. But there was no doubt that life was about to change.

There were some very hopeful aspects of that day. It also marked the beginning of some other things that were not quite so hopeful. In the first two parts of this series, I have only briefly mentioned the faith and “God aspect” of what took place over these days... This post will be different. I don’t believe you can make an honest assessment of that day and its ramifications without looking through a faith lens and bringing in the idea of spiritual warfare.

First, the hopeful signs…

There was a unity in our country on September 12 and the days following that I had never before seen. The flag was honored and revered. Our first responders – the Policemen, Firefighters and others who showed us what true heroism looked like – were treated with the respect and honor that they deserved. And I will add, still deserve. One of the most amazing sights was all 535 of our Congressmen and Senators standing united on the Capital steps to sing God Bless America, together. Oh, that we could see something like that today. There was a healthy patriotism that swept across the nation. A shared loyalty with a common enemy – Islamic extremist terrorists that wanted to see all Americans (“infidels” in their eyes) eliminated.

There was no Republican and Democrat. No Red and Blue. No Black and White. No Us and Them. Just American. All of us.

There was a renewed perspective on the value of life and the appreciation of those we love. The idea that you never know what the day will bring. Disasters, tragedies, and accidents can happen in an instant. And they never announce themselves. I make it a point to always have the last words I say to my wife be, “I Love You!” when I leave our home to go anywhere, for any length of time. The events of 9/11 are part of that practice. And if she is home, she looks out the front window and waves as I head out. For the same reasons. It may sound silly. It’s not.

One subtle aspect of life that changed was how we watch Television news. We were all glued to the screen for days and weeks after – always wanting updates and looking for anything positive to grasp onto. This was when the news ticker that scrolls across the bottom of the twenty-four-hour news channels’ broadcasts began. There was so much happening, this was a way to keep everyone updated on many fronts faster than the talking heads tell us.

All of this was positive, but in the days, weeks and months following, some things started to change further – and not for the better.

One of the things that surprised me at the time – and still does – is the element that fear played in all the events that followed. It has also led to some of the longest lasting effects. It amazed me then and continues to amaze me today the extent to which Americans have sacrificed freedom for perceived safety. Let me just say here – and maybe this is a whole different post for another day – that fear and freedom cannot exist in the same place. When you give into fear, you are sacrificing your freedom.

Author and theologian Os Guinness refers to the idea of the “Golden Triangle of Liberty.” He posits that freedom, virtue, and faith all work together in a cycle and when a people lose just one of the three, they lose what holds them together as a people. And they lose the other two – and liberty itself. In this view, the trust between leaders and those being led is vital, and when it falls apart, so does freedom. And with the loss of freedom, so goes liberty. There is no doubt that we are in a period of major distrust between “we the people” and this country’s governmental leadership. Regardless of whether you are an us or a them on any particular issue, I would be surprised if you didn’t have some trust issues with our government.

Ultimately, I think this whole situation comes down to spiritual warfare. The eternal fight between good and evil – God and Satan. If you haven’t spent much time reading your Bible about this concept, I encourage you to do so. We would do well to remember that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12 NIV) The battle is much bigger than what we see.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

The most common way the enemy attacks us is through division. I don’t know that you could find a time in our nation – certainly not in the last twenty years – when we have been divided by so much, and so sharply. I wouldn’t be surprised if the enemy saw our initial reaction to September 11th – the unity, faith and steadfast spirit of September 12th, and doubled down on his efforts to divide, realizing he was losing a battle. We’ve moved beyond simply Republican and Democrat or Black and White, to masks or no masks, vaccinated or not vaccinated… There are all sorts of new “us’s and them’s” out there to create dissension and turmoil. All of which makes it harder to “live life to the full.”

I think it all boils down to this – in whom do you put your trust? As you think about your answer, consider the following, as well… What makes you fearful? Who do you expect to protect you from those things? Have they had a good track record of doing so?

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” (Psalms 20:7)

Who are the “chariots” and “horses” you are trusting these days? Your bank account? Scientists? The government? How is that working for you? Personally, I’m going with trusting God.

He has never let me down… Never lied to me… Never played favorites… Never had ulterior motives… And has never, ever shown me anything but grace and love. So, all of you idols of this world, you lose!

“But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

A lot has happened in twenty years. There has been much change – but much has stayed the same. It’s a shame that some of the hopefulness of September 12th was so short-lived. It’s sad that there seems to be many lessons that we did not learn – or at least retain the knowledge of them. But there is always hope for the future...

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For those of you that have read some or all of these past three posts – Thank you. I know they are somewhat different than what you usually read in this space, but I do appreciate you giving me the forum and the time to share our story. I hope it encouraged you to remember your story, as well.