THANKFUL

The Lord keeps his eyes on the righteous. He hears their prayers. But the Lord’s anger is against those who do evil—1 Peter 3:12 (King Jimmy Translation).

“The Best of Humanity, the Worst of Humanity”

Do you remember where you were, what you were doing on September 11, 2001?

I remember my circumstances. Your humble Aggie scribe waited in the parts department at the shop, hoping my backordered parts had come in. At that time, the parts department had a TV mounted to the wall to keep customers entertained while they waited for hours, sometimes days, to get their parts. A crowd had gathered, watching the burning North Tower, one half of the iconic Twin Towers in New York City. An American Airlines 757 had crashed into it. The announcers were still calling this a horrible accident when the second plane, a 767, slammed into the South Tower. The gasps of witnessing such an act took the air out of the room. Could we believe what we just saw? In stunned disbelief, calls upon God were immediately uttered. Others offered curses using the same God. All work ceased. Needed parts weren’t so needed right now.

The people surrounding the TV in the parts department wondered who was behind all this. “We’re under attack,” some said. “No way,” others countered. “Not here in America.” “What group is behind this attack?” Questions flew around the room as to what we witnessed. When we thought it could not get worse, another 757 crashed into the Pentagon. Then within an hour came the report of a United 767, flight 93, crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. Speculations were this aircraft was headed toward the White House or the Capitol. We watched horrified as people leaned out the windows above the hellish blazes, waiting to be rescued. “God help them,” is all we could say. “Lord, have mercy.” Our emotions ripped us apart as we saw those who knew they were doomed, leap from the windows into eternity. Some jumped holding hands, not wanting to die alone. There are no human words we can us to show how evil forced us to witness its horrors. ‘Horrors’ seems too weak a word to describe what happened to humanity. No one should have had to see that.

Evil murdered over 3000 innocents that day, representing 115 countries. Their “crimes?” They came to work, they went on a business trip, they started their long-awaited vacation, they longed to see loved ones.

September 11, 2001 will forever be a dark day in America. It revealed the worst of humanity. In other parts of the world, people celebrated the destruction of the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and the crashed 767. Videos of dancing and celebrating over the successful attacks repulsed every red-blooded American and our allies. Our righteous rage rose within us. September 11, 2001 brought out the worst of humanity.

More important, September 11 brought out the best of humanity too.

As the events unfolded, stories emerged about the courage of people. Stairwells were the only exit from the towers. People helped one another escape, some carrying the frail, handicapped, or wounded on their backs all the way down to safety. Race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, Republican, Democrat—none of that mattered. Humanity cared for one another. There were stories of those who could have escaped, but refused to leave those who were wounded until the first responders arrived. They never came out. People prayed with each other. As people called on God for mercy, I want to think there were no atheist left in the towers. The best of humanity.

Enough cannot be said about the firemen, police and emergency responder who rushed into the buildings, up the stairwells, as others rushed out to safety. Their courage to save others overruled the dangers they raced into. The New York Fire Department lost 343 firefighters and paramedics. The New York Police Department and the New York Port Authority lost 59 officers. They gave their lives to save others. God rest their souls. The best of humanity.

At the Pentagon, 184 perished. Rank mattered little as military brass worked side-by-side with the enlisted people, civilians and politicians worked together, clerks and visitors helped one another without thought of their own safety. The best of humanity loving humanity.

On Flight 93, after the hijackers commandeered the aircraft and turned the aircraft toward D.C. the passengers bravely took matters into their hands. Todd Beamer, a committed follower of Jesus Christ, led the charge. His holy rallying cry of “Let’s Roll” is now part of the American lexicon. Knowing they were now not heading to San Francisco but headed toward eternity, they regained entry into the cockpit to overpower the hijackers. They crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Everyday people fighting evil—and triumphed. The best of humanity.

America came together in common purpose as she did in World War II. How the terrorists meant to bring harm to us instead brought out the good in us. Although we saw the worst of humanity that day, we saw the best of humanity more. Differences were put aside and Americans were committed to one another. We were united.

Missionary Lucas Ellis stated so perfectly the spirit of 9/11. “The difference between someone who is scared and someone who is brave is that the brave person is scared, but tries anyway. Bravery cannot exist without fear.”

I called Mrs. Aggie, who worked outside the home at that time. She was crying. Her voice trembled. Their office also watched the second plane hit. Like us, the scenes on TV seemed surreal. Her attempts to reach our two daughters to check on their wellbeing failed, but they were probably communicating with their spouses and children. We called our friends and loved ones to check on them.

Lord, unite us again. Forgive our sins and let us see one another as you see us. Help us live together in harmony and peace. Lord, we have no one else we can call on.

Stay close to Jesus.

Jimmy

Jimmy Eskew © 2017