SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

SEPTEMBER 11, 2011

It was a day when the unreal became the unimaginable, September 11, 2001, the crystalline morning when planes dropped from the skies and toppled the World Trade Center and punctured a hole in the Pentagon, it was a critical point that shattered the security of the country and introduced an obvious and destructive enemy previously unfamiliar to most citizens.   Nearly 3,000 people died that morning, the vast majority of them in the gnarled rubble of the Lower Manhattan towers, others at the Pentagon and in a rural Pennsylvania field.  A numbed country with tear filled eyes came to understand the ugly menace of terrorism.

On September 11, 2001, a major event was recorded in the annals of history.  The terrorist destruction of the twin towers of the World Trade Center shook the world.  The death toll will continue to be a nightmare to thousands of people.

The echoes of that horrific day have been radiated outward in many directions, indelibly altering peoples’ concept of what it means to feel safe in the modern world.  Investigations were undertaken into how something of such magnitude could have happened, and conspiracy theories trotted out diverging notions.  A war on terror was set in motion that gravitated from the battlefields of Afghanistan to the deserts of Iraq.  The long-running and problematic Iraq war has opened fissures in the nation and abroad, and advanced to the forefront of political dialogue.

But 9/11 has touched off controversies and debates on multiple levels; over the extent of the damage to the health of those who toiled in the debris pit of the fallen towers or occupied the downtown area; even what to re-build on what many see a sacred burial ground; over domestic spying  and what is acceptable interrogation of suspected terrorists; and even how to continue to commemorate the actual anniversary of that dark day.  

There are Four Stages to events such as what happened on September 11, 2001. 

The first stage is the actual disaster itself.  With the disaster comes shock and disbelief.  All of us experienced this shock when we viewed all of the replays of the commercial jetliners crashing into the World Trade Center.

The second stage of a critical incident is the rescue effort.  The rescue effort marks an emotional shift for the people involved; it becomes a time of hope.   During this stage, the workers at Ground Zero were climbing around rubble looking for people who were trapped and alive.  They kept going because of the hope that someone was going to make it out alive.

The third stage is an uncomfortable one.  This is the recovery effort.  The recovery effort takes place once it becomes obvious that no one is left alive.  You probably remember then New York Mayor Giuliani sadly telling the public on national television that the rescue efforts have ended and the recovery effort was starting.

The fourth stage is the closure period.  Many times we find that this part of a major incident is very difficult.  Guilt can plague us and our emotions can be in turmoil, preventing us from making the decision to move forward with our lives.  Closure is a must; otherwise we will spend the rest of our lives wandering in a gloomy world of sadness and indecision.

Moving Forward

Let me encourage each of you to turn your eyes to God and let Him lead our country to a place of healing.  Jesus Christ has a specific design on how to accomplish this in our lives; He said,     “I have come that they may have life to the full.” (John 10:10).  To begin our journey forward, we need to trust Jesus to lead us in the right way.  He also said: “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”  (John 14:6).

Jesus makes it very clear that He is the way to heaven and that it is through Him that we get to the Father.  We begin by making sure Jesus is our Lord and Savior, because He paid the price for our sins and God will now receive us into His kingdom because He has accepted the perfect sacrifice.  In moving forward with our lives is to pray and receive Jesus into our hearts.   So we can now move forward as the words of our pledge to the flag of the United States of America, so strongly state that we are, indeed,  “One Nation under God.”

Then and only then will you allow Jesus to accomplish what He has for your life in this world that is full of turmoil.  He will surround you with His indescribable peace, He will quiet your heart from fear, He will heal you with His amazing love.  Jesus, wants to do this for you, “Let Him.”

N.R Kleinfield, Sept. 7, 2007.  New York Times

When Your World Falls Apart, by Mike Macintosh.