Jim and I grew up in the same neighborhood at the New Jersey shore. We were inseparable and enjoyed spending as much time together as we could. Before 9/11, this Jersey Girl was a full-time retail pharmacist; and that Jersey Boy was a computer software engineer working at the World Trade Center in Manhattan.
I wasn’t a “religious” person back then – that is to say I had zero interest in the Bible or Jesus. I went to church only when it was convenient for me. I believed in God, but my knowledge of Him was very superficial and shortsighted. Still, I understood that God is sovereign and He has the power to make good things happen… or to stop bad things from happening. So each morning when Jim left for work, I prayed for God to keep Jim safe.
On 9.11.01, God’s answer was… no.
In the weeks and months after 9/11, I looked at God through the eyes of anger and contempt. I understood that He didn’t cause it to happen, but I knew He could have stopped it from happening – and He didn’t. Through a series of people and events in that first year after 9/11, my anger at God was downgraded to disappointment. Then it changed to curiosity. Eventually I looked at God thru the eyes of acceptance and trust. And now I gaze at Him through the eyes of reverence, love, adoration and gratitude. He sent His Son Jesus to die for me – for all of us – so that those who put their trust in Jesus will have the forgiveness of sins and the promise of spending eternity with Him, where there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain (Revelation 21:4).
