Ten Years

Somehow I made it 20 years without knowing there were so many people in the world who hated us THAT much.

As the buildings were burning and smoking and we were watching it all unfold on TV, the news reporters would do some little segments on who they thought may be responsible and why.  

That was what stunned me the most.  REALLY?!  I mean, I knew there were people who didn't like us, maybe thought they hated us a little....but THIS?!  They hate us this much?

And it started sinking in....how awful evil is.  Of course I always knew "evil" was bad.  I had a very biblical definition of evil, I knew the world was full of it ever since the fall and all of that.  But this embodied it for me.  And I became very afraid.

What was I doing??!!  Why on earth was I bringing a baby into this awful world?!  Too late now.  I would just have to do everything I could to keep the crazies in the world from hurting her.

The vivid fear wore off over time.  But as I had my baby and watched her grow, I often wondered what about those kids who were like Lucy.  They were growing inside their mommies when 9/11 happened, only their Daddies didn't ever come home, see them take their first breath or hold them.

Then this year, I saw this...



and it just tore me up.  Part of me was bothered that a photographer probably looked at this girl and said, "Hey hold out that picture of your Daddy you never met so I can get a good picture."  But then I thought....If she didn't want the world to know about her Daddy, she wouldn't wear that pendant.  So I just had to read the article. 

And I learned about 10 moms who were pregnant when I was and all their kids are 9 like my daughter.   And I looked at their sweet faces, and now I have real people to pray for when they come to mind.  And I showed Lucy, "Look honey, they're all your age!"  And it made the awfulness more real to her.  Not that I want her to be fearful.  But our children should know that it WAS horrific and evil.  As time goes on, it seems to be popular to just sweep it under the rug.  If I left it to our culture to inform her about our world and good and evil....well, she'd be messed up indeed.  We CANNOT ignore evil or pretend it doesn't exist.

And she and I both know that we have a loving and all powerful God, Who will make this all alright in the end.  He knows about the people who hate us.  He loves some of them and will bring them to Himself.  From the rest of them, He has the power to protect us if He chooses.  And if He doesn't?  Well, then we will just get to be with Him until the end, when all will be made right.  I love my God.  I love His crazy-powerful attributes.  I think about all the people who were left behind when their loved ones left THIS world, and I pray that they know or will one day find THIS peace.