Mixed Emotions

I know that a lot of people commented and wrote about things concerning September 11th. And rightly so. This past Sunday marked the ten-year anniversary of that horrible day.


Yes, I remember where I was when it happened. Yes, I even watched the events live as it was being aired on television. Yes, I will never forget. It was a terrible. That day, September 11th, will no doubt always be remembered as a day of sorrow, grief, shock, fear, and anger.

There are three people in my life that have, alongside of those memories of the day, different memories. My sister’s birthday is September 11th. My wife has an aunt whose birthday is also on September 11th. And two of our friends have their wedding anniversary on that day. And all of those events should be observed with joy and laughter. But I am sure that for each of them, and all others who have that date as one of significance, the joy seems to be a bit diluted as they also remember.

The Bible says that we are to “weep with those who weep”. And we certainly do. One can’t help but be moved, join in with the sorrow, and yes, even cry about those events from ten years ago. I am saddened by the lives lost, by the grief of the living family members, and the nightmares of the survivors. My pray is that they all come to know Jesus as their Savior. Though it still might not make sense to them, I know a relationship with Jesus will bring about peace. Might take awhile, but it will happen. In John 16:33, Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

The Bible also says that we are to “rejoice with those who rejoice”. And we certainly did. We went to the open house to honor the 40th wedding anniversary of good friends. They had pictures from various times of their lives along with wedding pictures. The bride’s gown was sitting out with her wedding Bible next to it. And there was their wedding book with the registry of gifts given and events. And most of all, there were friends. There were young and old friends. There were friends of forty plus years and there were friends of just a couple of years. But we were all there to do one thing. To remember. And in that remembrance, we rejoiced. We laughed, we hugged, and we expressed love.

It was not that we had forgotten the tragedy from ten years ago. No, I am sure that it, and how that day has changed so many things in our lives, was still ever present in our psyche. But it was not, will not, and cannot consume us to the point where we forget whose we are. Because we who are called to “rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep” know deep within us that there is something greater that is here. (Matthew 12:6; Matthew 12:41; Matthew 12:42)
And there we stand.