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Like all of you, I’ve watched in horror the tragic events unfolding as a result of the senseless attack on our country. September 11, 2001 will forever be etched in my mind as the day the world changed. I will never again be able to look at life in the same way. My heart is broken. My senses of security and safety are shaken. I fear for my children. What will this new world with new rules mean for them and their future?
With all of you, I’ve grieved for those lost and those left behind. I cannot comprehend the hate that would lead to such reprehensible behavior. I’m sickened at the utter disregard for human life and even more repulsed that these actions were conducted by warped minds who believe God wanted it so. I fear that in our grief, we too may lose perspective with regards to God. I’ve heard so many ask; “how could God let this happen?” I’ve also watched with great interest as the U.S. Government, the mass media, and the American minority, who for so long now have made every attempt to remove God from all public view, now with great passion invoke His blessings and assistance in unifying, healing, and saving our country. Though I am disappointed that it took such a tragedy to put us on the road back to God, I am none-the-less grateful that at long last, we are turning to Him from whom all blessings flow. Could this be the answer to why God would let this happen? Perhaps America and the world needed a wake up call in order to get God back into our lives. I don’t know, but it certainly makes one think. Another frequent question heard throughout America over the past week is “what can I do?” The outpourings of love, compassion, service, and patriotism have been one of the few bright aspects to come from this tragedy. I’ve wiped more than a few tears from my eyes as I watch the efforts of our American Heroes working in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania. I’ve felt strength and unity building in our country as I’ve participated in prayer meetings, candlelight vigils, moments of silence, and singing of patriotic anthems in support of our country. My heart has swelled with pride and gratitude as I hear of those young men and women who serve in the armed forces who unanimously pledge their lives to saving our country. I had become somewhat pessimistic about the youth of our nation, feeling that perhaps we had failed as parents, teachers, and leaders, at instilling patriotism in the hearts of our children. But as I hear of the increase in enlistment taking place among all branches of our U.S. Military as a result of the attack, my faith is strengthened. Yes, though all we ever hear about is the bad, there are far more good young men and women amongst us than bad. I for one am grateful for and confident in their ability to save our great nation. But despite all of this, most of us are still left asking; “what can I do?” There is only so much blood to give, only so much volunteer work to be done, only so much money to donate, only so much need in our military. When it gets right down to it, after all of this there are still millions of us that want to help, but feel helpless in our ability to make a significant contribution. |
We still are left asking; “what can I do?” The answer to this question is really quite simple. It can be summarized in three words. The volunteer efforts must continue. The money must still be donated. Blood is still needed. But if we truly want to recover from this crisis the long-term solution is this: We must “turn to God.” Three simple words which if truly practiced will save our country, and yes, save our world.
I don’t care what banner you carry, be it Christian, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, Atheist, something else or nothing at all. Imagine a people who on a daily basis invoke the blessings of God upon the world, and then go about living in a way that demonstrated a belief and trust in His ability to save us. We would no longer hate one another. We would no longer have the desire to kill one another. We would stop looking for ways to outsmart each other and instead look for ways to serve. We would stop looking at the color of skin and recognize that God is the Father of us all. We would then treat each other like the brothers and sisters we are. In effect, we would stop the hate because God is love. If all we had in our hearts was love for God, then love for one another would be the natural by-product. So what can we do? "Turn to God." Live our lives in such a manner that God will have no choice but to bless us. Stop the murder. Stop the rape. Stop the theft. Stop the immorality. Stop the abuse of our children and our wives and husbands. Stop looking at marriage as an experiment and make it a commitment. Stop the exploitation. Stop looking for justification of our evil behavior and take responsibility for our actions. Look for the good in others. Look for opportunity to serve one another instead of opportunity to be better than others. In a word, “CHANGE”. God has promised us that if we will love Him, and serve Him, He will bless us. “I the Lord am bound when ye do what I say, but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.” “In as much as ye have done it unto the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.” It seems like such a little thing, but it is the ultimate answer to the question of what we can do. “This is the first and great commandment, to love the Lord thy God with all of thy heart. The second is like unto it; thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” I personally commit to all of you, that I will do my part. I will first turn to God and put all of my faith and trust in Him. I will then strive to live my life in a manner that would be pleasing to God. I will walk in paths of righteousness and in all that I do, strive to serve Him through service to my fellow man. Can you imagine the strength that will come to this country, and to this world, if we all make this same commitment? What can I do? Turn to God. With all of my heart I love God, I love my country, and I love you. If you feel the same, perhaps you might add your thoughts to mine and pass this message on. God bless this country. God bless this people. God bless us all. (Aaron L. Spilker) |