Yesterday stirred up a lot of memories of 9/11 for me.... I was in touch on facebook with a lot of old friends from our church plant in Kansas City... they were my support system back then...
One of them posted this scripture from Proverbs....
"Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice" -Proverbs 24:17
On September 10, 2001 our church was dedicating our new building... Brock & I were leaders for a little pre-youth group called "Route 56"... it was for 5th & 6th graders.... and old highway 56 ran through Shawnee & DeSoto.... one of our 6th graders had inherited the 5th grade class pet rat.... each 5th grade class ran a science experiment with 2 rats... a healthy food rat & a junk food rat... at the end of the year there was a raffle to see who inherited them... one of you youth kiddos did... & he thought it should be at church for the celebration... it stowed away in his coat pocket... the coat was then hung on the racks lining the hallway.... the rat decided to go on an adventure, climbed out of the pocket & ended up staring at our pastor in the copy room.... crazy day dedicating our new church building... memorable non-the-less.... that 6th grade boy will always be part of my 9/11 memory.... he has grown into a man, an adult in the 9+ years since that day....
So the next day at school during our team meeting, I was telling the other 6th grade teachers this story... we were rolling with laughter... about to wet myself, being 5 months pregnant with our oldest....
Our principal came into the team room... to start the meeting we thought.... he told us to quiet & settle down.... I said, "No what you have to hear this story!" .... He said there has been an accident... a plane just flew into the world trade center....
Our laughter seized...... the whole day played out in slow motion.... I was pregnant & remember going home to lay on the couch all night... watching the news, thinking "what kind of a world am I bringing this new life into?"....
Brock & I spent time on top of the World Trade Center... he spent several months on Long Island in 1998 with the first company worked for out of grad school... It was so hard to wrap my brain around what had happened. A place that my husband & I had occupied... a place filled with people... mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, husbands, wives.... was attacked.
Our scanner is not behaving... I wanted to show you all a picture of us on top of the WTC... young & on top of the world. I wanted to share a picture with you that we have on our bar in the basement, us at Ellis Island... with the WTC & NYC skyline as our back drop....
So how do I feel about the death of the United States most wanted outlaw.... I was at first relieved... almost a decade in the making, a terrorist was brought down.... tumbled down like the buildings collapse he orchestrated....
But then I read my KC friend Sara's facebook status....
"Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice" -Proverbs 24:17
the ancient wisdom of the book of Proverbs... I should not rejoice & brag & celebrate when and enemy falls....
Oh Lord, keep us and our country safe... shield us from evil until your son, Jesus our Messiah, returns to this earth.... help us to keep from gloating, rejoicing, celebrating in this death... help us to be your light unto this world.... amen
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