6 Years Later, We Still Remember

You cannot live in New York without feeling and remembering the 9/11 tragedy and hearing various accounts of that day. Today marks the 6 year anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center. A Tuesday - just like any other day. I remember when I first heard of this horrible tragedy; I was in Waco, Texas attending grad school. As bad as it sounds, at first I dismissed the impact of the planes crashing into a building, thinking it was in another country and another tragedy, of which I would not ever feel the true impact. Well, here I am; in the middle of New York City, six years later. I feel it more today than the day it happened.

New York, which was so distant from me then, is my home now. I work with these people. I live with these people. I have grown to love these people. Today, my heart is heavy for those children growing up without a mother or father, for those living with the overwhelming despair of loss, and those who do not know the hope and love of Christ to carry them forward. The memorial ceremony began at 8:46am, when the first plane hit the north tower. Now it is just an hour later at 9:59am, when the south tower collapsed, and we are only on G in the alphabet of victims. Think of that number. It is overwhelming.

So, how do we move forward? How do we as believers, in Christ's redeeming love, answer their questions? Rudy Giuliani said in his speech this morning, "It was a day with no answers..." John Piper puts it best in a previous blog, "How Shall We Minister To People After the World Trade Tower Terrorism of September 11, 2001?". Take a moment and read it. You never know when you will need to sit down and comfort one who is hurting from a loss, from an overwhelming loss. Let these be our answers, as a family of those who believe.

Today, I choose to do this and urge you to join me: "I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.”- Psalm 121:1-2