9/11

I headed to the store this morning with all my babies and as we were driving down the road we passed a flag that was flying at half mass. Nathaniel asked why that flag wasn't flying high in the sky, and that is when it all came rushing back. The most vivid memories of where we were and what we were doing when the phone rang and my mom said I needed to turn on the television. Nathaniel was only 20 months old then. He was sitting in the floor watching Blues Clues. Andrew was getting ready to go, but he wasn't going to work that day because he had been summoned for jury duty. He never left the house. All trials were canceled and all federal buildings were locked down because no one knew what was going on or who might be in danger. Instead we sat in front of the TV for hours in horror. It just kept getting worse and more surreal as the minutes past. I was 8 months pregnant and fear gripped me for the pure evil people in the world are capable of. For every sight of heroism was the gut wrenching reality that heroes are needed because of the evil that exists. On 9/11 as I sat awake at 2:00 in the morning praying that God would give me some peace, even just enough that I could sleep, He gave me one of the most amazing promises of my life. He took me to the book of Isaiah, and through scripture He began to reassure me of how He had already redeemed all that is broken. He showed me how He had claimed my children. He even spoke to me about the purposes He had for my first born son. Here is where I start to cry and it takes my breath away to type these words. God gave me these promises on September 11, 2001 as I cried out to Him in fear. One year ago today, on September 11, 2007 my first born son gave His life to Jesus on the anniversary of that terrible day, and He made that decision in the very house that God had given me these promises 6 years before. That was an AMAZING day! I realized how God is the Master Conductor, orchestrating the events of the lives given to Him in submission with our free will. Isn't it amazing that when God spoke to me that horrible night He was already seeing the glorious day that would take place 6 years later. He has redeemed the lost! He has seen and healed the broken. He will not leave us or forsake us.

So this morning when the babies pointed out to me the flags flying low in the sky and all the memories came flooding back we pulled over on the side of the road, and I told them all about 9/11. I told them about the families who are still grieving the loss of people they loved . I can't fathom the pain. So...we do the only thing we can do and that is to lift them up to our Heavenly Father and pray for peace.