On this day 18 years ago, I was in my 2nd grade classroom at a new school. One of the teachers came into the room and told us, "A plane crashed into the World Trade Center in New York. Everyone is okay." Yet, 25 miles west of where we were sitting that morning, everyone was not okay.
The devastating reality of 9/11 was not lost on my almost-8-year-old self. I saw the harrowing footage replayed on TV over and over again. I learned of friends who no longer had living fathers or other relatives. I saw cars lining the nearby train station parking lots that were never claimed, because their owners never made it home that day. Those days were laced with a eeriness I had never felt before.
My mom took me and my siblings to a nearby lookout so we could see the newly-altered NY skyline a few days after the attacks. I remember seeing smoke billowing up from where the towers had proudly stood just a few days before. I will never forget how different the world now looked through my young eyes. I remember asking my parents if World War 3 was beginning. Everything had changed.
I became fearful of the darkness in the world in the wake of 9/11. It seemed overwhelming. Was every plane I heard in the sky going to crash and kill people? Would anyone catch the bad guys who did this, or would I have to live the rest of my life afraid? If I was ever in a similar situation to those who lost their lives in the attacks, what would happen to me?
Over the following months, I learned stories of God’s common grace toward humanity: I saw people coming together and caring for each other despite differences. I learned of God protecting and sparing many who should have been at work in the towers that day, yet were late for various reasons. I heard of heroic, sacrificial efforts from those who gave their lives to save countless others.
My heart also became more responsive to the gospel through this time. I began to understand that I ultimately had nothing to fear because Jesus saves. I could trust in Him. He paid the ultimate sacrifice and laid down His life for the undeserving so that we could have true life. My anxious little heart was able to rest.
In this lifetime, the darkness around us may not depart. The darkness does, however, have an expiration date. This we can be sure of. By His death and resurrection, Jesus has overcome all evil. May we eagerly await the day when all wrongs are made right, and everything broken is made new. Come, Lord Jesus.
