“For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?'” (Heb 13:5-6 NKJV)
It’s been 11 years since the terrorist attack against the United States: The two planes that crashed into the World Trade Centre tours in New York City, the plane that crashed into the Pentagon in Washington DC, and the plane that was heroically brought down in Pennsylvania by a courageous group of passengers.
Do you remember where you were that day?
I do. Though I live in Canada, the day will be forever etched in my memory.
I was doing the dishes when the phone rang. It was my mother, and she was frantic. She was, at the time, in the hospital rehabilitating from a broken hip, and though I don’t remember her exact words, the gist of her message was loud and clear: My brother, who worked at the pentagon at the time, was unaccounted for!
It was the first I had heard of the attack, but due to the fact that the phone lines were clogged, we wouldn’t know for several hours that my brother was, indeed, just fine. Praise be to God, though his office was in the part of the building that was hit, this particular section had been under construction and his office had been moved to a different part of the building.
During those hours of unknown, I prayed with my mom over the phone. I then called a social worker friend at the hospital who I knew to be a Christian and asking her to talk to my mom. I remember not knowing what to do with my time, so I went out for a walk. I remember being impressed by all the American and Canadian flags that were everywhere in the neighbourhood. One home even had candles burning on the brick wall surrounding their home, with flags surrounding the candles. I cried then. Not just for my still-missing brother, but because of the barbaric nature of the entire incident, and because of the love and support the world displayed that day for those who fell.
Now, 11 years later, the atrocity has not dimmed. The entire world reeled that day, and it is, I believe, forever changed.
How?
Living in Canada, I only glimpsed a fraction of what happened in the US. But as a result of the attack, Canada and the US are closer than they used to be. In fact, September 11 has been declared a National Heritage Day in Canada!
In New York City, the debris from the twin towers has been cleared, and in its place there now stands a 9-11 memorial to those innocent people who died in the attack. The memorial opened in 2011, on the 10-year anniversary of the ordeal, but the actual museum is slated to open this year.
As I was looking at a video of the memorial, one image stood out vividly in my mind. It wasn’t much, really, just two pieces of steel support beams connected together in the middle. But it was in the form of … A cross!
Wait a minute! A cross? Surely this was someone’s fabrication! Some Christian was trying to make sense of everything and had fashioned this cross out of the support beams!
But this is not the case. This piece of rubble was found in its current shape by construction worker Frank Silecchio, who had been looking through the debris at the garage level for bodies!
Total chance?
Some would say so, but I don’t think so!
No, though the tides of evil had turned against God’s children, God placed this cross in the middle of the debris to remind us that no matter how bad the circumstances may be, He is still in charge! He is there to hold us up, to comfort us, to carry us through! In the words of Frank Silecchio, “It brought me to my knees in tears. It revitalized me and helped me persevere through this tragedy.” And later, he said, “I look to this cross as a symbol of faith.”
You can pay a cyber-visit the cross by clicking here. Or better yet, should you find yourself in New York City in the near future, be sure to visit the 9-11 memorial where you will see the actual cross on display. But whether you visit it virtually or in person, let it be a reminder to you that no matter how bad things go, God is still there!
And the next time things turn bad in your life (and they will, for God never promised us a trouble-free life!), remember that cross found in the wreckage of the World Trade Buildings. Remember, the God who planted that cross in the debris will comfort you, will hold you up, will carry you through!
In His love,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Mother of two teens, Speech-Language Pathologist, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries