“God heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.”
Psalms 147:3 CEB
17 years ago our lives changed. Our once normal lives were interrupted by hate, fear, uncertainty, and anger. We were forced to take a look at ourselves in the mirror and take our national security seriously. We lost nearly 3,000 lives in the twin towers and our hearts sank to hear about the other planes that hit the Pentagon and crashed on the way to DC.
I was 18 at the time. I was a freshman in college and we were about to celebrate the opening of a new school year. I was getting dressed when the first plane hit the trade center. I immediately called my dad. Then I saw the second plane hit. I then knew that we were now a country at war. It was no longer an accident. This was an act of terrorism. We were now a nation in mourning.
For a brief moment, we were a truly united nation. We didn’t see color or party. We didn’t see rich or poor. We didn’t see Jew, Christian, or Muslim. We saw red, white, and blue. We prayed together. We worked hard together. We showed the world our strength. I knew we would bounce back and I knew that things were going to get better.
Then we slowly progressed back to our microcosms of life. The war was getting long and costly. our economy was in shambles. We started to spew hate on Twitter and Facebook. The old wounds of hate and racism festered and now we are as divided as it was in the 1960’s.
This is not what those innocent lives died for on 9/11. This is not what those thousands upon thousands of men and women who served this country since 9/11 gave their lives for. We need to heal our wounds. We need to change our way of thinking towards one another. If we don’t we could face another tragedy larger than 9/11. The only way we can truly heal this nation is to live as God wants us to live. He is the only one that can mend our wounds. We need to get back focusing on what unites us and not on what makes us different. We have to stop hiding behind our religions and practice it.
To make America great we must remember that every soul that calls this country home matters. When one person hurts we all hurt. We have to break down walls and not build them. We have to offer an open hand and not a closed fist. We have to see the light of God in each other’s eyes. When we do that those wounds will start to heal. We must never forget how 9/11 changed us and we must never forget how it united us. May the lives who were lost on this day rest peacefully and may God continue to bless our country. I am hopeful that we will one day be united and that our old wounds will be mended by the love of God.
Stephon's Thoughts 