Stand Firm 9/11

Yesterday was the 10 year anniversary for 9/11. I remember exactly where I was when it all happened. I was in 9th grade at Hardee Senior High School. It was at the end of first period when the 1st plane hit. The bell rang, we all went to our second period class and that's when we all saw it! All the TV's were on; both teachers and students sat watching the horror take place. I didn't know what it all meant at the time, I actually didn't know what the twin towers were. It wasn't until that afternoon did it all sink in. I was watching history take place right before my eyes. And 9/11 would forever be apart of my life.


It wasn't until 2004 that 9/11 would come full circle for me and mean more than just a day of attack. 9/11/04 was the day I got married to my first husband. This represented joy in my life, but at the same time he was joining the military and so it meant so much more. Being an Army wife brought me closer to the real reason why 9/11 was so important to this country. I would now see first hand the consequences to the attacks on 9/11 and it would directly effect me and my family. A few years passed by and the war that was taking place in Iraq & Afghanistan also became the war within our home. By 2007, our war ended in divorce.


9/11, for many years now, has represented more than pain, more than hurt, more than terrorism and it has been a day that I try to avoid. But September 11, 2011 is different. My walk with the Lord has grown. My outlook on life and the reason things happen has changed and now I see the HOPE in 9/11. I'm reminded often that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Eph 6:12)


I can recall watching Gracia Burnham give her testimony after some muslims had captured her and her husband (who was killed during captivity) and she spoke of how she continued to pray for them. She didn't speak of the revenge she had in store for them or how she couldn't forgive them. Her words were words of healing, forgiveness and a true concern of their eternal destination. 


I finish with this...  I find hope in that while "When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever." (Prov. 10:25) The pain of this world will not overtake us. We will not be left alone and fighting this battle by ourselves. 
STAND FIRM brothers and sisters, Stand Firm!