September 11, 2020 by Jermaine E. Martin
All I could think about were the people trapped in those burning Towers, “How scared must they be? How much pain must they be enduring? How hard must they be praying and how helpless must they feel?” The hell they must have gone through is unimaginable. As I watched this hell, I was waiting for GOD to step in at any moment. With this level of destruction and evil, only He would be strong enough to push back against it.
Before I would see GOD, I would see the Twin Towers fall, part of the Pentagon collapse, and a hijacked plane crashing in Pennsylvania, killing every single person onboard. I never in my life would have thought that I would get to see this level of evilness that human beings are capable of. Reading about the historical evilness of mankind is one thing, but seeing it unfold in front of your own eyes is another.
As the smoke began to clear and the bodies were being counted, I transitioned into a state of deep reflection: “What did we do as a nation to deserve this? What did the people in those Towers, the Pentagon, and in those planes do to deserve this?” Absolutely nothing is the answer. Pure evil doesn’t need a rational reason to attack, only a weak-minded excuse.
This was an attack so severe that it transcended the typical political arguments that divide us on a daily basis. As Americans, we became “one” in our hurt and anger. The entire world would realize that “anger” can be a powerful force for uniting people. Americans wanted blood and understandably so.
Even with the appetite for revenge raging in our hearts, we as a nation made it our priority to save lives and help our fellow countrymen in their most desperate time of need. Americans drove from every corner of this nation to offer help and assistance to those impacted by the terrorist attacks. There was no longer a “rural” or “big city” America, we were all one America. This was a moment of clarity for me, one of many that came out of the September 11th attacks.
I realized that the true strength and potential of this country, always reveals itself when we come together to protect our freedoms and way of life. It is no coincidence that these are also the moments when GOD reveals Himself. When we help our neighbors and help one another, that’s when GOD shows up.
On September 11, 2001, when police officers and firefighters braved through smoke and fire, hot ashes and steel to help their fellow countrymen -that’s when GOD showed up. When ordinary folks, from as far away as Indiana and Wisconsin, left their families to drive hundreds of miles to New York City to cook and feed first responders and rescue workers -that’s when GOD showed up. When America became united more than it had ever been in our lifetime -that’s when GOD showed up.
Jermaine E. Martin is an empowerment leader, speaker and author of “American Mindset: Unstuck & Unstoppable” Available now on Amazon