All over the web today and the news was the sentiment "Never forget" as if we could really. It is one of those "where were you when moments. I won't forget it, short of dementia or Alzheimer's disease...I won't forget and I hope you don't either......So where was I?
I was in my living room (that's where our office was at the time), Morgan was in the floor playing she was 4 days from celebrating one year of life, Victor had just left and Rose was at school. I had the TV on and was watching the TODAY show. Matt Lauer and Katie Co uric....I remember the look of shock on Mr. Lauer's face when he said "we have a report of a plane hitting one of the Trade Center towers..we are going there now, we are taking you live to the WTC" ..and then I saw the smoking smoldering building. The reports were confused and offering nothing but speculation as to how this could have happened "could it have been on auto pilot and just gotten off" silly stuff like that... and then there it was.... the image frozen in my mind the moment that I see playing over and over.. the moment that I froze like an animal does when it knows death is approaching and accepts its. Another Plane entered the tv screen and the reporters voices raised and then and then death came. That is what I thought as I watched.. death was striking..evil was having it's moment.
Yes, I am with Mr. Bush on that it was evil. Pure evil, evil having it's moment. That scene lives in my memory and I won't forget and I won't let my children forget. Because I need to remember that evil exists and that it is a "real and present danger" but before evil turns into action it is bread in the heart..... Here is what I will choose not to forget: That evil we saw in that one moment was born in the hearts of those men and their supporters how many days or years before any of us knew or heard of Al Queda or Osama Bin Laden.
I must never forget and always chose to remember that "moment of terror" was the manifestation of the blackened heart of people who chose hate over love, vengeance over forgiveness, and death over life. I believe we all need to never forget that evil is lurking and brewing somewhere right now, poisoning hearts and minds...eroding love, kindness, mercy, forgiveness and grace. If we do forget, if we do let our guard down it might be our hearts that get hardened. No, not that most any of us would get into a plane and crash into a building..that isn't what I mean. But let us not think for one eye's blink that we aren't susceptible to evils "little white lies.."...maybe we start to believe that our enemy is a certain people group or religion...if we start to travel that thought road to what actions do you think it would take us? But what if instead we turn our eyes to the one who's voice we are called to recognise? Would we not see more clearly that our enemy isn't flesh and blood. Oh it looks like it sometimes...yes it does...I have no doubt that on that day when the nails were being hammered into his hands that evil had skin on...but did not goodness wear skin to? Did not love? Did not Forgiveness? Mercy? Grace? I want to remember September 11th 2001 so I won't forget to protect my heart and mind. I want to remember that evil has skin and in response to that fact wear some goodness on mine.
