Where Were you When the Towers Fell?
My assistant and I had been in a meeting near Atlanta, Georgia, when a lady
burst into the conference room saying everyone had been ordered out of the
building. She wasn't sure why, but it was important that we leave as soon as
possible. I tried calling my office, but there was no signal. I knew that
when a threat was called in, the towers in the area were shut down so cell
phones could not be used to detonate a bomb. As this bit of information
popped into my mind, I suggested we quickly leave the vicinity.
Several miles later we stopped by my house to see if my wife would like to
join us for lunch. She was working at home that day, but as we entered the
house I noticed she wasn't at her makeshift desk. Instead she was sitting
motionless in the den, staring at the TV. I'm not sure she even noticed we
had entered the room. I followed her gaze to the screen and saw the images
we would see countless times over the following hours, days, weeks and
months...planes striking buildings in New York City, fire and billowing
smoke, people jumping to their deaths, and the Twin Towers crashing to the
ground.
I remember all of this as though it was yesterday. I can still see the
pictures in my mind, as well as those of the crash into the Pentagon and the
charred fields of Pennsylvania. But memory can be a fleeting, fading kind of
thing. It really isn't important to know where we were or what we were doing
when the Towers fell, but whether these events changed us. Did they leave a
mark?
Since 9/11, there have been many deadly terrorist acts and they have
occurred literally around the world. Men, women and children of different
races, religions and nationalities have been injured, maimed, and murdered.
On August 31, 2006, I left for Scotland. Just a few weeks before, various
levels of British law enforcement had uncovered and foiled an attempt to
blow up several commercial jets bound for the U.S. Security was heightened,
as were the legitimate concerns of many people around the world. Did these
events leave their mark as well? If so, what was it? Anger? Fear? Distrust?
Or something else entirely?
This world has a deep history of the types of events we have seen over the
last several years. Nothing is new. Hatred has been around for a very long
time. Whenever we go through a period of relative peace, we forget about the
evil in the world. We believe that with the right set of laws, freedoms,
commercial enterprises, or government structure, everyone will be happy,
kind and caring. With such devotion to mankind's ingenuity, we lull
ourselves into a false sense of security and no longer remember the depth of
the pain and suffering we once witnessed. But hatred and evil do not forget.
Events such as 9/11 should change us. They should leave a mark, but not the
kind the world offers. This mark is vastly different. It flies in the face
of all human reason and understanding. This mark has been carried by
courageous men and women throughout the ages. It has been their standard as
they faced times of tragedy and suffering. It has led them through fear,
confusion, loneliness and hopelessness. By this mark, people have walked
past walls of water and stood among towering flames. They have escaped
slavery, conquered kingdoms, and dispensed justice. They have become sure of
what they hoped for and certain of what they did not see.
This mark...the same one we also carry...is faith, not in ourselves or our
own cleverness, but in God and God alone. It is divinely given and closely
held. And through it, we know the outcome. Though death and destruction
become common sights, God reigns. Though nations threaten and terrorists
plot, God reigns. Though the future seems in doubt and peace a distant
dream, God reigns.
We have been changed. We will stand, for we carry the mark God has given us.
And that mark is faith.
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this
world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
(John 16:33)
Take care and be God's,
Chuck Graham