Where Were You When...

Where were you when… There have been three events in my lifetime that were so monumental that everyone remembers where they were then they heard that the event had taken place. Oh, there are many personal monumental events that I will always remember— when I was married, when my children were born, when Arkansas beat Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. But three events are so universal that most who were alive then remember where they werewhen they heard

First, “Where were you when you heard President Kennedy had been shot?” I was in Miss Riddle’s first grade class at deer Park Elementary. They closed school early and sent us home. I remember being really upset when I learned that the president had died. I remember Mom saying, “That’s really a bad thing, but it won’t affect little boys in Virginia.” That made sense, so I went outside to play.

Second, “Where were you when you heard that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin had landed on the moon?” I was in the first bottom bunk on the left side of Cabin #2 at Idlewild Christian Camp listening to the radio. (Later it would be against rules to have a radio, but we had a radio that day.) That when we heard that “The Eagle has landed.” I thought that was cool, but I thought it was even more cool that I were getting ready to play softball.

Third, “Where were you when you on September 11, 2001 when you heard about the attack on the World Trade Center.” I was at the church building. We had just started a program where Elaine Denman came to the building once a week to do Christian counseling. Someone called, and we set the TV up just in time to see the second plane hit. It was the most surreal morning that I can remember. Seeing the second crash… hearing of the Pentagon… watching the Twin Towers fall. Unlike the shooting of JFK, we knew that this was going to directly affect us for the rest of our lives. Terrorism came home. It got real.

God has blessed us with many things in the world, but what He does not ever promise is a world without hardship, tragedy and death. What God gave us is a world in which we are free to make our own moral decisions. That freedom allowed a handful of evil men to turn airplanes into bombs and turn the murder of 3000 innocent people into a political statement. But that freedom also allowed those brave fire fighters and police to rush into the burning Twin Towers and military personnel to climb through the flames at the Pentagon in a valiant effort to save others.

Lisa Beamer became probably the most visible face of 911 in the weeks and months following the disaster. Her husband Todd died during the battle to take back the plane that crashed in a Pennsylvania field but was supposed to crash into the Capital. She became a source of inspiration and strength with her book and many appearances. Todd’s final words “Let’s roll!” became our unofficial national motto. Lisa shared how it was that she was able to roll on after Todd’s death—

If I were trying to hold my life together based on my human strength, I wouldn't get out of bed. I am so thankful to have my God-given strength and courage. Every day seems like such a dichotomy, because I'm human, with emotions of sadness and grieving. But on the other hand, my perspective is much bigger than just the things that happen in this world.

Today we seek that divine perspective as we remember one of our darkest days as a nation. The courage and sacrifice of those at Ground Zero and the response and resolve of millions across the country help us to see that through the darkness the light still shines brightly. May we always remember those who died that day. May we live daily top bring the light of God into our dark world.