Thou Shalt Not Be Afraid For the Terror

('m sorry....I have worked on this over and over but it just won't let me format it correctly. Please forgive how it looks. I know it's not easy to read like this!)

September 11, 2001. I remember it well. The day was warm, the sky was blue, the sun was shining, and things were quiet here on our north Mississippi farm. I had already started cooking our dinner that day when the phone rang. On the other end of the line was one of my good friends in North Carolina. The first words out of her mouth were, "Do you have your TV on?" When I answered, "No", she told me that terrorists had sabotaged the Twin Towers of the Trade Center in New York. My first thought was, "Terrorists?" I wasn't even sure if I knew what that meant. Nevertheless, it did strike fear in my heart. I turned on the TV and tried to finish cooking dinner while at the same time keeping my eyes glued to the TV. It seemed the news just got worse and worse.

Instead of being a minor incident, this was a major catastrophe for the United States. Many people had been killed. Many more were missing. People all over the land were praying. After the dust started settling, I was better able to understand why we called the people who had done this to us, "terrorists", for certainly they had brought Terror to our land. ("Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, and shall drive him to his feet." Job 18:11)

We saw in this horrible event just how quickly a normal, sunshiny day can turn into a dark, despicable disaster. But we should also remember that God knows our life from beginning to end. He knows what will happen tomorrow and the next day and the day after that! And He's there to walk beside us no matter where the road leads.

As Christians, we can take comfort in the verses found in Psalm 91:1-6 ("He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.")

Many things have changed and will never be the same since that fateful day seven years ago. Our oldest son John joined the Marine Corps in October of 2001. He would see two , mostly miserable, tours in Iraq in the years that followed. He endured many things, did many things, and saw many things that men should never have to endure, do, or see. As he was leaving Iraq after his first tour of duty was over, I was overjoyed to find an email from him in my inbox after weeks of knowing he was in the middle of the battle but unable to hear from him. This is what it said:

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Sent: Sunday, April 27, 2003 7:29 AM

Subject: RE: We love you

Hello my loving family:

Praise God for his mercy endureth forever! I am back on the ship as of today. Not a scratch on my body. I cannot even explain what it feels like to not be worried about the next burst of AK fire, but it feels better than anything in a long time. I will give you some numbers. 33 days without having water on my body to wash with. 47 days without a shower. 73 days sleeping on the ground, outside. Tonight I will sleep in a bed! 47 days with only MRE's to eat. Boy do the little things in life get BIG. I am tired so I am gonna go. We get libo in the next 2 days so I will be talking to you.

Love,

Your "now safe" Marine son

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Although he made it home the first time injury free, he was seriously wounded in September of 2004, just before his second tour of duty in Iraq was over….hit in the head, shoulder and side with shrapnel from an enemy IED. He was flown out of Iraq and into Germany where he underwent brain surgery. Many, many prayers were sent up for our son and by God's grace, he is alive today.

I dedicate today's post to our son John. He was always my protector when he was a child and teenager at home. He's the one I depended on to change my flat tires and kill the snakes! He was a great Marine machine-gunner….he made Sergeant just before he left the USMC. As is true of any soldier who has been in combat for extended periods of time, John will never be the same person he was before he went to war. There are memories that can never be erased. There are burdens that are hard to be borne. There are pains from the injuries that are sometime unbearable. As Americans, we owe a lot to our veterans. John has my respect and my unconditional love for as long as I live.

Today if you see someone you know is a Veteran….tell them Thank You ! It will mean a lot to them!

God bless America!

Marilyn