The events of 9/11 haunt the thoughts and images of Americans, causing renewed patriotism, goodwill, love toward fellow-man, and symbols of religious devotion. Men and women strive to be better spouses and parents, to love and live well, to serve others. They are more grateful for the daily heroes: firefighters, emergency responders, and security forces across the nation. They submit to major security measure changes because it makes them feel an illusion of safety.
Men emerge as masculine heroes, women looking up to them as to a stone wall of strength and loyalty against the evils of Muslim terrorism and Jihad. Hats go off to all the ladies, mothers who lost their husbands and have to go on alone. Crosses go up on homemade memorials for those lost in the attacks. Tears flow at prayer vigils held in churches and cathedrals across the country.
People sing “God bless America” more than any other song as they look upon the flag. Patron saints of lost things are called on as family members wait for word of any survivors, while workers scramble frantically looking through rubble for any sign of life. The blessed Mother is called on to help them all.
“Black” men and women join “white” men and women in peaceful, solemn gatherings everywhere. They look past skin color into the eyes of people mourning losses; they hold hands, bowing heads in prayer.
Crowds wait in anticipation for the outcome of elections everywhere. They chant “Yes, we can,” “Change”, and “Hope”. Media announcers scorn everyone who goes against a specific candidate as “racist” and “bigoted”. They tell of all the records to be broken if, in fact, Obama is elected as the first black president.
Atheists take offense at all the crosses everywhere, the lawsuits continue to rage as they roar for all Christian symbols to be taken down.
“Blacks” and “whites” rage against each other as they play blame games on each other as to who did what and why. They point fingers and spew profanities.
Feminists chant slogans against “oppressive” males, writing screen plays portraying dumb dads, push-over husbands and fathers, and strong, intelligent female leaders in the military, law, and homes. They call for equal rights, while men struggle to find jobs that their wives, who want to stay at home, could get in one interview, simply because of their being female.
Prayer is made all but nonexistent, crosses grow rare.
Muslim terrorists have free reign, while Americans are not allowed to call them what they are: Muslim. We are no longer allowed to racially profile mid-eastern young men as terrorists, even though they typically were following 9/11. Now it would be called racist and bigoted.
What happened? Where have all the good things gone? Why have we gone from these excellent things in such a short time and turned to such ungodliness, hate and perversion?
Could it be that most of these things were done in shallowness, only emotionally, and not spiritually? Because emotions change without warning. You know that, don’t you? You may be having a pretty good day, but suddenly you get a headache, and BOOM! You are not the same person. You lose some self-control and have an anger filled rant at an inanimate object that jumped out to stomp on your toe, you kick the cat out of the way as you rush out the door, and you raise your voice a little too much when your child needs correction.
But then you come home and your husband has a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a lovely card on the table, and suddenly your heart melts, and you are walking in clouds as you prepare a meal for him and your children.
We all know emotions change. But you know, if the good changes that occurred after 9/11 were more than emotional, it may well have lasted to the present day. If people had turned to the only answer to their heartbreak and come to Jesus, they would have had a peace that passed all understanding.
They would have realized that all men and women are one race, created that way from the beginning on day six of the creation, and thus we are equal and always were.
They would have known God’s order for marriage is the man as the head of the wife, and that we should love and respect our spouse as the man or woman God made them to be. Sure, men and women are different. But what an incredible blessing that is!
If Americans had become spiritually alive, they would have realized that no amount of calling on patron saints or even Mary would have made any difference. None. Jesus Christ is our only Advocate, our only Mediator and Priest. We need no other. We only need Christ as our Savior from the sin that separates us from the God who loves us and sent His Son as our atoning Sacrifice to bring us back into an unbroken relationship with God. He died willingly on the cross and rose again for us. Because He wanted to! He wants us to be forgiven of our sins so that we can know Him!
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will.” Ephesians 1:3-5
What a blessed truth. Do you believe it? Do you live by it? I pray you do.