The Fifth Anniversary of 9/11

Part One

The Lesser of Two Evils

Luke 6:22 (NASB)
22 “Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.

This is going to be a difficult article to write. Today marks the fifth anniversary of 9/11. For a long time after that fateful day I hated the Afghans. I hated Osama bin Laden simply because he hated me. He’d never met me before, yet he wanted to kill me because of my beliefs and the country I was born in. I couldn’t understand why someone could be so full of anger at the entire American race. What did we ever do to him?

The events of that day left a very deep wound in me. I don’t know anyone who died in that tragedy, yet when I talk about it and when I write about it I start to cry. I can’t imagine the hurt and the pain that people must be going through who lost someone they love that day. For their innocent life to be taken simply because of where they live is beyond the coldest of cold; it’s flat out evil. I was on the bandwagon crying out for our country to drop The Bomb on Afghanistan. I hated them completely, and I figured our world would be better off without them.

Part Two

Ground Zero

Luke 6:27 (NASB)
27 “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

At exactly 8:46 and 40 seconds AM Eastern Daylight Time, American Airlines flight 11 slammed into Tower One of the World Trade Center in New York, NY, and at that exact second our country was thrust into war. Many compared this event to Pearl Harbor. I remember watching it on television, completely in shock. I thought it couldn’t be real; it had to be a product of Hollywood. My jaw was dropped, watching as the news unfolded of this terrible attack.

I had been to those buildings. I had gone to the 107th floor and looked out over the harbor at the Statue of Liberty. I had stood beside those behemoths, dizzily trying to keep my footing as I gazed up at their great height. I was amazed by this feat of humanity. And it crumbled to the ground within ten seconds.

Part Three

The Pentagon

Luke 6:28 (NASB)
28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

I had been to the Pentagon. I’d walked down those winding corridors, and seen the courtyard in the middle. I went on the guided tour, and complained about how tired I was of walking. I visited the gift shop and didn’t find anything interesting. I was in Fifth grade then; the only thing that interested me was the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Shortly after the attack on 9/11, I went back to Washington and drove by the Pentagon. I saw the gaping hole in the side of the building, and an eerie realization came over me that I had stood in those very hallways. That was eye-opening. To see it in person made it real to me. I’m sure it was already very real to the people who’s loved ones died that day.

Part Four

Shanksville, PA

Luke 6:29 (NASB)
29 “Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.

The passengers of United flight 93 will eternally be remembered as “The flight that fought back.” These guys were average Joe’s, but they saved their plane from being crashed into the Capitol or the White House. They gave everything to keep others from dying.

In a courageous struggle, these people thrust headlong into battle, not looking back or giving in. They weren’t soldiers or police; they were ordinary people like you and me. I’ve asked myself on many occasions if I’d have the guts to endure that kind of pain for the greater good. They ran to the attack, to save the leaders of our country from being attacked. I only wish I could answer “yes” if I was asked to do the same.

Part Five

A Radical Change of Heart

Luke 6:35 (NASB)
35 “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.

As I was praying the other night about the words for this article, the Holy Spirit began to show me some things. He reminded me of Nineveh, and how Jonah felt that God should punish the people of that city for all the wrong they had done.

Jonah wanted fire and brimstone to fall on Nineveh as it had on Sodom and Gomorrah. Yet God talked to Jonah about compassion. God told Jonah that He cared for the people and the animals in that city; He didn’t want death and destruction to come to them. He wanted Jonah to preach to them so they would repent. That is what God always wants. He is a God of mercy, not a God of judgment. We don’t ever get what we deserve; if we did, we’d all go to Hell. Yet God, with His infinite mercy, has forgiven us of all our sins … even sins we’ve yet to commit.

As I prayed last night, a compassion for Afghanistan and for Osama bin Laden began to swell up in my heart. I began to pray for them, for their salvation. I began to see them as God sees them, as people in need of a true Savior. You may say, “They don’t deserve to go to Heaven! Look how many people they’ve murdered!” But that’s just it! God delights in showing mercy, especially to those who don’t deserve it. None of us deserve anything but death; even God’s chosen people, the Jews. The Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. And that’s the whole point! We fail, and God knew we’d fail. That’s why He made the way of salvation before He even made the World.

How much better than them are we? How different from them are we? They hate our entire nationality for reasons we deem foolish. But what about us? We hate their entire nationality for reasons they deem foolish. The Bible says we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the true enemy, Satan. He whispers lies in our ears to get us to hate the other person, and that’s never God’s will. God doesn’t hate anybody, not even Osama bin Laden. How godly are we if we walk in the ways of Satan?

Did you know Satan has a will for your life? He has a direction he wants you to go, and it’s nowhere near God’s way for you. God has a way for you that’s perfect and right and true. God’s way takes you to blessing and abundance. But you’ll never walk that path if you hate someone for what they do. After all, they’re only being persuaded by the same devil you and I face every day. So, really, we have a common enemy, and we can lock arms in love and face that enemy with the Word of God.

We don’t have to back down from him, because he can’t even hurt us. We don’t have to get angry at someone when they do us wrong, because it’s not them doing us wrong, anyway; it’s the devil, and he’s already been defeated. So how do you win? You win by walking in love! When you keep a smile on your face and continue to show love in the midst of oppression, you win! “But how can I walk in love with someone half-way around the world?” With your attitude. That person may never experience the effect of your love for him, but you will certainly walk in grace because of it. And who knows, maybe some day you will get the chance to tell that person how much you love them and care for them, despite how they’ve treated you. I’ll tell you one thing: I’ve certainly got a better attitude about Osama, lately. And if God wants to send me to Pakistan to preach to him, that would be just fine with me. Here’s what I’d tell him.

~Jonathan

Related Entries

1. In It to Win
2. It’s Not Over Until I Win
3. Remembering 9/11 — The World Trade Center Memorial
4. Attaining a Peaceful Coexistence

September 11th, 2006 · Back to Top · Tagged: 9-11, Americana

Zeal

A story about my life as a missionary in Thailand.

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