My experience is similar. I was walking down the stairs to enter Eastmont Middle School. I was wearing a white shirt and jeans and I think my first class was math. As I walked with other fellow students that morning into the school building, I thought it would be a normal day. But, little did I know, it wasn't. Teachers got word to turn on the news and we were all struck with an event that would again change our country's history. My day also consisted of watching the news all day. I didn't learn all of our regular subjects in school, but I did learn that there is a God.
I think being in 7th grade, I didn't really grasp what had happened. I didn't understand how or why someone could even think to terrorize a country. However, the older I get and with each experience I am able to see why people choose certain paths. With many historical tragedies in our country, I think it effects people when making the choice of good vs. evil. This is happening in America, as I feel so many people are choosing to do evil, and it's happening way to fast. Evil is becoming more prevalent in society.
I was able to attend the seminar of a World Religious Visitor. His name is Richard Land and is an Evangelical Professor at the University of Texas Seminary. I would like to summarize some of the things he said, because they stick out to me in this time of remembrance and contemplation.
Richard said, “Anybody who comes here and pledges allegiance...can be an American...We are different groups of ethnicities held together by our allegiance.” America was once that kind of place, but not so much anymore. As time goes on, we are not really being held by allegiance.
As humans, I think we were created to inherently do good. Things are placed in our lives to see if we will keep choosing to be good. As horrible events can continue one throughout history, people tend to blame God. This isn't right. When blaming God, people tend to develop a negative attitude and become a person they used to hate and despise. When, really people should be remembering the bigger picture of life..."This is but a small moment of thine afflictions."
Land also said, that "We [America] have been a faith based nation from the beginning." Our lives may be something that can be taken away in the blink of an eye, but our faith isn't. Our faith can live on forever. Our founding fathers believed in God, and we need to never forget that. They also believed in a country that believed in God.
But, it's interesting that as Richard Land pointed out, "When people are free to choose between liberty and order, they choose order." How sad it is that with each piece of tragical historical event, we keep choosing order. All we want is to control over everything. We are becoming a selfish country.
I saw one too many facebook posts and tweets, this September 11, that are more so about "fashion week", "my children messed up the bedroom again", "my class is so boring", "I woke up sick today", etc. We are forgetting. We are forgetting that our founding fathers were inspired to come up with 3 principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness...but, with each tragedy, we blame God and get stuck in a depression. When in reality, it's not God to blame. It's in God who reached out in those times. It's in God who comforted us. It's in God who helped us learn the lesson, once again, it's okay to rely on others.
As Derek and I reflect on this time for our country, and wait for the news on if we will go into Syria, we hope that you all remember our country is faith based, throughout any event. Sometimes bad things happen so we can remember God. The phrase that everyone uses from 9/11 is "I will never forget." And we hope that this phrase is used often as it really means: "I will never forgot God."
9/11 #wewillnotforget
