If you would, picture with me a fourth grade classroom. You're a few days into the new school year, and you're ready to get the day started one sunny, beautiful Tuesday morning. You walk into your classroom like you do every morning, but as you're putting your backpack in the closet and grabbing a chair for your desk, a kid tells you something you don't hear every day: "A plane crashed into the Twin Towers." Now, you're eight years old; you have no clue what that could mean. It couldn't be anything big, right? Just a small plane that did little damage.
The day continues on normally, until your teacher gives you a paper on safety. You've gotten these before, so you naturally assume it has to do with some creeper guy in the area to watch out for. You put the paper in your backpack, head on the bus, and walk the short distance from the bus stop to your house, where your mom is standing at the door waiting for you. Everything seems normal... until your mom sits you down at the kitchen table, kneels in front of you, and tells you about how terrorists hit the Twin Towers.
This kid was me ten years ago.
I seriously can't believe it's been this long. Back then I really had no idea the extent of all that was going on, only that it seemed so strange that people would think killing themselves and other people was the will of their god. My initial reaction all those years ago was, "Why?" My eight-year old self couldn't fathom the idea of all of it. Why would someone want to do something so awful? Why would they want to kill all those innocent people? Why New York City, only a few hours from where I live?
Even ten years later I still don't have all of these answers. But one thing I do know: God let it happen for a reason. I honestly don't think our nation has drawn closer to Him in these ten years, and it really gets me sad. To think that it took such a horrible tragedy to open some people's eyes to the truth, while others blatantly turned their backs on God for allowing this to happen breaks my heart. Some people refuse to talk about it all together, only because it's a subject that's touchy and they don't want to think about it.
Well, I don't think that's right.
September 11th happened whether they want to acknowledge it or not, and I think that people shouldn't forget what happened. I feel that our nation needs to turn back to God, beg His forgiveness, and needs to follow the principles our nation was founded on all of those years ago. I feel like we need to remember what happened that fateful September morning, and that we shouldn't take our freedom for granted. My grandpa, who was by far the most patriotic person I've ever known, taught me well. He always told me to be proud to be an American, to be thankful for the freedom we have.
As a Christian, I know that I need to pray for our country. It's in desperate need of help, and not help from people. We need help from God, who can turn this country around and lead us back to Him.
9/11/01: Never forget!
God bless,
Elyssa =)
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