This was written a while back, but I feel is badly needed today. With all the turmoil and hate our country has suffered, this Veteran’s Day we can best honor those who gave their all for us by simply following this guide from God’s Word: Be ye kind.
Ephesians 4: 32 tells us…be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you.
How hard is it to be kind? Just take a moment to listen, pat a shoulder, say an encouraging word. What a difference we would see if more of us took the time simply to be kind….and the biggest difference might be seen in us. Often we are too busy with our own thoughts and concerns to notice others around us who are suffering or in need of help.
I recently shared on Facebook an article published in a Romanian newspaper shortly after the 9/11 attack on America. The writer was amazed at how we, the people of the United States, reacted to this tragedy that took the lives of almost 3000 people. He watched as we came together as a country, some risking their own lives to save others….and he wondered why. What caused all these people of various races, genders, faiths and circumstances to come together as one and with one goal….to help each other? In the end he came to the conclusion that it was freedom that caused this unity. “Only freedom,” he said, “can work such miracles.”
Though I appreciated his kind words in this ode to America, I had to disagree with his conclusion. It wasn’t only freedom that brought us together in 2001…. it was God. His love made us reach out to each other in hope, faith and grief as we cried with the families of those lost and rejoiced over those who were rescued. All over America in homes, schools and work places, people were praying. And God listened and saw us through it. Never in my life had I felt such unity in our beloved country or felt so blessed to know that God was still at the center of our society. His peace that passes all understanding gave us all the courage to work together and accept the fact that life in America had changed.
No longer could we take anything for granted or trust that we were safe from foreign attack. We kept a closer watch, security was increased everywhere and life went on. Unfortunately, our feeling of unity didn’t last for long. Once the enemy was identified and retaliation began it was back to politics as usual. Terrorism and how to stop it became our priority.
Somehow, in our quest for peace, we have allowed laws to be made that go against God’s teachings and His Commandments pushed aside. But He is still in control and leading us back to this truth: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. John 3: 16-17.
I pray we can once again know the unity that prevailed following 9/11…. and may we find it soon, through the precious name of Jesus. Amen
