9-11

The sky was blue, O so blue. It was a wonderful fall day, the kind of day you wait all summer for - a touch of cool in the air, the sun rising in the east, a bit of a morning mist in the air. Life was good. The fires were going. The folks were cooking apple butter. The apples had been peeled. The fires had been stoked. The large copper pots were in place. Filled with the apples, they were waiting to bubble. Young and old stood around, taking turns on the paddles. There is a buzz in the air. Apple butter cooking sets the tone for the day. It will be a good day.

Then the news. One plane. One tower. And shock. What is going on? Smoke from the building. It can't be. What a terrible accident. Those poor people. God be with them. What is that? A second plane? A second tower? What is going on? What about the Pentagon? A plane there too? What is this? What happened to the day? Where is the joy? And then, they collapsed. they just came tumbling down. Those monuments to the strength and power of mankind, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center that marked the skyline of New York City were nothing but a pile of rubble. Smoke, paper, terror filled the air.

Back at Ferrin, the kettles bubbled away, being stirred by the same people, only there was little talk. The sky was still blue but it was empty. No planes. No travel. No hope. No future. We had been attacked. Where would it lead? What would happen now? Were we safe? Would we be at war? As the kettles bubbled, the hearts were wondering who was in control.

Sitting here today, September 11, 2009, the sky is blue. The sun is rising. There is a morning mist in the air. It is a glorious fall day. And the answer to the questions have come. Yes, there would be war. The economy would be trashed. Lives would be changed. Security would be questioned. People had changed.

And the same One is in control. On that day, 9/11/01, the Lord was in control. Today, 9/11/09, the Lord is in control. that day showed us that we are not gods. We are not invincible. We are ones that are in need, need of His strength, His control, His love, His mercy. There is strength in that knowledge. There is peace that passes human understanding. Standing in the presence of our Lord, we knew that we were safe, no matter what man tried to do to us. We were safe in the Lord. Towers might fall. Terrorists might attack. But the Lord is the Lord of all. His will, His power, His love wins in the end.

Did we learn the lesson? For a few short days, weeks, or months, people focused on God and what He would have us do. Then, the fear faded. We returned to our lives. We focused on our thoughts. We let sin begin to lead us again. At one time it was about God and how He would have us live. And then we returned to pre-9/11. We became self-centered, self-righteous, self-serving and we forgot about God. We remember 9/11. But do we remember what is truly important? Do we remember that our lives belong to God?