As we respectfully honor the 11th anniversary of September 11th, 2001, arguably the greatest attack and offense of war on American soil, our hearts unite in a special way today with families who are forever impacted by that event. I am writing about families of civilian occupants of the airplanes used on that tragic day, the buildings (New York City & the Pentagon) attacked, selfless first-responder firemen, police officers, and other emergency personnel, as well as military lives lost in wars which have come about as a result. We must spend some time in prayerful memory for those lives. Far too often, and even including me as write at this moment, we fail to fully grasp the width and depth of that event's impact.
Freedom isn't free, as a matter of fact I believe it has the greatest price tag anything could possess, life. No greater cost was paid for ultimate freedom than Jesus Christ giving His life away in death for you and me. This morning I had the chance to get out of bed on my own accord at about 5:00 AM, gather myself and what little wit I possess at such early hours, and choose to meet a group of about 30+ friends for and hour or so of intense basketball games. Some of these friends are some young men in their teenage years whom I admire. The amazing contrast and reality check for me is at the age they are, and in my life in those late teenage years I was being awaken at about the same time of the early morning by the sounds of surface-to-surface missiles being launched at the direction of my home. Unlike today, back then and some 20+ years ago I was forced to awaken into instant alertness or to determine whether there was a need to take cover from a bomb falling upon my head, as well as those of family members. Many lives were lost because of the reality and existence of evil and sin in the heart of men, and for the cost of peace and relative freedom which currently exist in my home country today.
While our hearts unite with families affected by the losses of men and women that have come about as a result of September 11th, 2001 and the many tears and emotional struggles we have not seen or those we have, we must remember the reality that We Also Serve: A Family Goes to War. We must recognize the impact of war on the American family and all others involved including the enemies, not merely by the death of a soldier, but the impact absence during deployment, the political discourse for and against war which ensues within families causing separations, and many more effects. I got the chance to pick up my three year old son from pre-school today and we wrestled on the living room floor very affectionately until we fell asleep (him lying on my chest) together. He told his mom a few moments later that sleeping on daddy was very comfortable. Many will never get that opportunity as adults or children because they have been robbed of that opportunity by the evil causes of war and events such as September 11th, 2001.
We Also Serve: A Family Goes to War is a book written by Nanette Sagastume who was a guest on a recent episode of my BlogTalkRadio show, The Firstborn Son Show. Please take a moment and listen to the interview and enlighten yourself.
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