Do you remember where you were on September 11, 2001? I sure do: in my office at Hope Haven International Ministries in Rock Valley, Iowa. Julie had just called with the disturbing news that an American Airlines jet crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers. I had meetings in Sioux Falls, SD, and driving up with a colleague listened carefully as more details emerge. And then the second jet crashed, with reports that the Pentagon had also been hit. The rest of the day was a bit of a blur—I felt an impending sense of doom and could barely choke down lunch as all in the restaurant were glued to the television broadcast of unfolding terror.
Upon arriving home I was, naturally, pre-occupied with the attacks. I couldn’t shake the images flashed on the news from Ground Zero. I ached for the families who were surely panicked as they thought of loved ones in NYC. Walking into our living room later that evening, however, I was confronted with the antithesis of terror. Julie simply said, “Watch this,” and our beautiful one-year old son, Ian, took his first tentative steps to his Daddy. The fear and darkness of the day dissolved in the bright sunshine of a child’s first steps and warm embrace. Ian would not learn until many years later what that day would mean beyond the confines of our home. I will never forget that day for what it was in each moment—curses and blessings; darkness and light; terror and joy; fear and exultation.“The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all” (Psalm 103:19). “In this thought we rest, knowing that he holds in check the devils and all our enemies, who cannot hurt us without his permission and will” (The Belgic Confession, Art. 13, Par. 5). The LORD is lord over all. We are His people. It’s going to be okay after all.
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