Lest we forget

I know it's been 10 years, but has everyone really forgotten what it was like to watch hundreds of thousands of people die before our very eyes? Surely, the images of a plane deliberately being flown into the second Twin Tower while the first one burns has not left our minds? Or how about the Pentagon burning while a horrible thick, black smoke fills the air, or the few pieces of plane burning amongst a shredded field in Pennsylvania? Surely these have not left our mind's eye?

Maybe it's because some of these people were only kids when this happened, and the impact of that day...the horrific feeling of being completely exposed and vulnerable and "what now?" was beyond their understanding. I don't want to tell people you can't possibly have understood that because you were so young, but I do know I didn't understand the gravity of the events OBL orchestrated before 9/11 because they were before my "age of understanding."

I do remember that day, though, like it was yesterday. I do remembering thinking how strange it was that our nation was experiencing one of the worst days in our history and at the same time the weather was beautiful all across our land. I remember wondering what was going to happen with my dad because he was still active in the military. I remember watching so many of my friends enlist because they wanted to help protect our country...and now one of them won't be returning home because of his commitment.

And it is because of this that I am glad our world is without OBL tonight!

Yes, I am a Christian, a follower of Jesus, and I do mourn the fact that OBL never got to experience the love and grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. However, as a Christian I have to reconcile, what seems to be, two different Gods of the Bible. The Old Testament is full of God sending out His armies to destroy the ungodly. In fact, the whole book of Joshua is about God's people conquering the land He promised them, and they did this through military might...by killing and destroying the people living in that land. The New Testament is the exact opposite of this, though. Jesus teaches about turning the other cheek, loving your neighbors as yourself, and giving everyone grace and mercy. They aren't two different Gods, though. The God of the Old Testament is the same God of the New Testament, so you have to reconcile the two. You have to because you can't pick and choose parts of the Bible...it's all or nothing.

I am not claiming to be an expert on this reconciling the two...in fact I'm far from it. What I do know is God will use His people for various reasons to accomplish His plan. If He can use someone to bring others to realize His love and mercy; if He can use someone to give an encouraging word or action to a friend, then He can certainly use His people to carry out His justice. And that's what this is. Justice being carried out. If God can punish the Israelites and cause the Earth to open and swallow some of them up, then He can surely bring death to the man who has caused so much of it around the world.

So, yes, I am a Christian, and I'm glad OBL is gone.

God bless our troops and bring them home soon!

God bless the Navy SEALs!

God bless America!