It has been 10 years since a sense of uncertainty struck this nation.
We watched news of planes flying into buildings on the New York City Skyline.
We received reports of attacks on our nation’s capital.
News of a downed aircraft came piecemeal to anxious Americans.
Many wondered, “What’s next?”
Some wanted quick revenge.
Some bought supplies in case the whole nation was under siege.
No one alive had experienced such an attack on the continental United States before.
Many prayed.
Many put out American flags.
Many returned to church.
Many opened the Bible that had been only decoration before.
September 11th, 2001 was a time of hurt.
It was a time of heroism.
It was a time of compassion.
It was an opportunity for this nation to return to God.
Now a decade later, the scar from this attack has been replaced with a memorial.
Few still pray for the families of those lost in the attack.
We are uncertain of how long our nation will be at odds with an elusive and global enemy.
Most only want to return to the life they once knew.
Patriotism has waned.
Church attendance has fallen.
The economy is the topic of most lives.
The cost in American blood in pursuit of this enemy is overshadowed by the price of oil.
So where are we 10 years later?
Secure from attacks that diligent service prevented.
Complaining about the inconvenience of air travel.
Feeling sorry for ourselves because we have maxed out our credit and can’t buy the newest phone.
What are our priorities?
Money.
Jobs.
Savings.
It is a wonderful thing that such an attack did not bring out great nation to her knees.
It is a terrible thing that such an attack did not bring our great nation to our knees in prayer.
We have survived the decade and hope for the life we knew before.
We have survived the decade without knowing God more than we did before.
It seems that our nation hit the snooze button on the wakeup call of 9-11.
Our government is more divisive.
Our desires are more selfish.
Our achievement is that we survived.
Survival has never been enough in past times.
Preserving liberty not only for ourselves but our posterity is the foundation of this nation.
We have lost the vision of liberty.
We have surrendered patriotism for a sense of security.
This past decade is one in which we tried to shield ourselves from the war on terror.
It is one in which we tried to maintain a sense of normalcy instead of mobilizing a nation.
We tried to fight a war in which the nation did not notice.
War is by design an ugly thing. We should not hide that from ourselves.
The casualties of 9-11 exceed those killed on that day.
They exceed those killed in the wars that ensued.
The causalities have been political division and religious apostasy.
They have been the death of statesmanship and the stasis of faith.
Now, 10 years later, we must ask ourselves:
Are we ready to pull together once again?
Are we ready to put God first in our lives once again?
Are we ready to value others more highly than ourselves once again?
My prayer is that after this decade of survival which we experienced, we will:
Work together as Americans.
Return to the one true God and worship him in thought, speech, and action.
Become a nation in which we truly love one another.
Become one nation under God!
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