Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” Zechariah 4:10 (NLT)
Eight years have passed since that fateful day. Have you forgotten? As the images flash across the television screen of the horror of September 11th, my stomach clenches up. I remember. It was the day our country was thrown into a war that we didn’t want. But, as Americans, where freedom means more than life, we marched right into the middle of it rather than running away.
Our lives changed that day in ways that our grandchildren will never see or understand. That week may be the last time in recent history that we can look back and see a united country. Differences fell away as pain enveloped us all. We worked together to pick up the pieces, to heal, and to begin again. Small steps but necessary beginnings for the strength and health of our nation.
Family members still grieve but most of us have moved on with our lives. Have we forgotten? Did we shelve the hurt and disillusionment of that day so that we could return to “normal?”
Tears streamed down my face as I watched the memorial service at the National Cathedral a few days after the attack. The prayers, Bible readings, music, and eulogies all brought us to the feet of the One who is the source of all comfort. God became a common word and faith in Him our only hope.
Yet, eight years later, that unity is gone and we fight in court to keep “In God we Trust” on our coins. The Ten Commandments are ruled unconstitutional resulting in the engraved stone hauled off the steps of a courthouse in Alabama. Children find it easier to get an abortion than an aspirin. Our congressional leaders could not be at greater odds with each other and their constituents.
Edmund Burke said, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” We no longer have the luxury of sitting back and waiting for someone else to do it. Stand up. Speak out. Be informed. Do something, even if it is just a little. Small steps.