A horrid day in USA history ............. Parables 732

September 18, 2001

There was no warning. Within twenty minutes of each other, two airplanes flew directly into the twin towers of New York’s World Trade Center and a third crashed into the Pentagon in Washington.

Thousands of people worked inside those buildings. Some of them never heard or saw anything coming. One moment they were drinking coffee, sorting paper on their desk, chatting with other employees; the next moment they were in eternity.

I’m writing this the day it happened. By the time this is printed, anything could occur. Another bomb. Retaliation. The U.S. and even Canada could be at war. Who can guess? We didn’t think today would be this way. There was no warning.

When life is unexpectedly snuffed, we shake our heads and realize how fragile we are and how precious our days. A few take stock and make decisions. They say, “After this, my life is going to be different. I will be more thoughtful, less reckless” and so on. I’ve said it too, yet I must be honest. A death, a funeral, a tragedy produces deep sorrow and personal reflection, but life goes on. I adjust. I must. And seldom do I change.

Yet for some, change is unavoidable. It happens in proportion to the size of the tragedy plus their proximity to it. I think of those who happened to be late getting to work at the Trade Center today. How can they be the same? For one thing, their place of employment no longer exists.

As the reality of ‘like a war movie’ scenes from television settle in and mark our hearts, some of us will change too. People will dig deep into their generosity and offer their money, food, clothing, even comfort and blood to those affected by today’s catastrophe. Many will pray.

For now, my personal response is both prayer and tears. With that, I feel a pleading rising up inside me. A voice says, “Oh people, there is no warning. We may think we are invincible. If we at least realize we are not, we might be careful, yet no matter what we do, death happens, and for most of us, it happens without adequate preparation. We didn’t think about it.

Jesus talked about a man who thought he was invincible. He was rich and his crops were fantastic. He thought to himself, “What shall I do since I have no room to store my crops?” So he decided: “I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my corps and my goods.”

We are like that man. We live in the richest province in one of the world’s best countries to live in. We have so much and life is so good. We are strong. We have few worries about our future. We are more concerning what to do with all the goods we have now.

But there is no warning. God said to the rich man, “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?” For him, death came without any chance to figure out Plan B.

The voice inside me calls out: People, don’t wait until you are old. Don’t wait until you are done ‘doing your thing’ because you think you have ‘plenty of time for God.’ No one knows. Eternity could suddenly open its doors and there you are inside, without any opportunity to prepare yourself. There may not be any warning.

Lord, my heart aches for the loss of life and the devastation in New York and Washington. I see people rallying to save lives, to protect and care for those who managed to survive. Yet I see You too, reaching out Your blood-stained hands and pleading with the living that they stop and consider the fragility of life, that they listen to Your voice. May they turn from any rebellion against You and they realize Your love and forgiveness is their greatest protection.

God, no matter how sudden or how devastating the end may come for any person, life never ends for those who place their souls in Your care. You promise: “Whoever has the Son of God has life” and “whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” In the midst of our overwhelming shock and sorrow, Your mercy and the assurance of eternal life is what we need the most.