10 years.

I stood in the hallway of Eureka Jr Sr High, leaning against the wall with a few of my friends waiting for class to start. Someone walked up and said it. "Did you guys see the news? Someone hit the World Trade Center with a plane."
I almost laughed. I thought he was kidding or if he was serious it had to be a single prop plane and tragically a few people may have died. Obviously I was wrong. I was stunned, scared, enraged and thought any retribution we gave to the terrorists was deserved and good. Ten years later the rage is gone. Sadness is there and pity. Pity for the families of the victims, pity for the families of the terrorists and most of all pity for the terrorists. How could a person justify killing thousands of people and think that God would be pleased. I get ill thinking of this.

Love your enemies. How do we do this as Christians? As terrible as the attacks were, Christ calls us to love those who were responsible for them. I know I myself cannot do this but Christ who is in me can. I cannot forgive them but I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me. As Christians we will be persecuted, we will see tragedy, we will lose those we love here on earth and we are called to love all of those who bring pain and hurt into our lives. The early Christians were fed to lions, boiled alive, skinned, raped,  nailed to crosses, beheaded and hunted. Yet the Church survived, even grew by THOUSANDS each year. They loved their enemies and by the love of Christ in them, they touched those who persecuted them. God help us to emulate them.

Ten years later I am still forgiving and trying to love.