[Note from RPB – This is the 2nd of three articles. Previous articles dealt with Relationships and Parenthood; Careers and Work/Rethinking Home and Hunkering Down; this article turns to the deeper spiritual and moral issues upon which tragedy compels us to reflect.
At the end of this article, I will have some specific comments, also. I have collected these three articles with my comments into a single pamphlet, located in the tract rack, if you are interested.]
"The attacks on Sept. 11 definitely make one realize what's really important in life … What's really important is people. What will tomorrow be like? Will I see this person tomorrow? How can I show my appreciation of them today?" Erin Manigault, San Francisco.
For so many who said they had not adjusted their routines or relationships in recent weeks, change is less visible but just as real.
Faith has been a great source of comfort for many in recent weeks, even those who say they had felt distant from their spiritual beliefs before Sept. 11. "I am going to church and praying a lot more. Before, it was rather hit and miss," said Marcia Lee of Tacoma, Wash.
So many are finding more solace in their families, expressing appreciation and taking time to show love for family and friends. The horror of Sept. 11 reminded many that each day might be the last chance they get.
"Since Sept. 11, I have realized that tomorrow is never guaranteed for any of us," said Kimberly Roelofs of Sandy, Utah. "This horror has made me appreciate everything precious in my life: freedom, education, good health, and especially family and friends."
Danelle Carney, a mother of four from Marion, Iowa, says she never finds herself now being "so busy" that she can't take time to just sit with her children and play. "And I have never left my house since the attacks without giving my children a hug and kiss and telling them how much mommy loves them," she said.
Community has become more important to many who are taking more time now to talk to neighbors and help the less fortunate. Helping others has psychological benefits in a time of uncertainty, says psychologist Weintraub. "This act of giving plays a very therapeutic role in dealing with our own decisions," he said.
While many Americans would admit they placed too much value on material goods in the past, some say Sept. 11 changed their consumerist attitudes, a sure sign of shifting priorities in a society that in recent years has prided itself on unprecedented prosperity.
"It has made me focus more on the 'little' things — hearing the birds sing, seeing the clouds, and being thankful for being able to see the sun rise," says Susan Tucker of Tennessee. "While I have always known it, it has made me more aware that material things are worthless."
If there has been any effect at all in the thinking of many Americans from the cumulative events of September 11, 2001 and the current "Iraq War," it has been in our softened attitudes. Unfortunately, war also hardens our spirits as we seek to bring hostilities to a swift and just conclusion. This dichotomy of heart and mind is sometimes difficult to understand. How do we proclaim our softened attitudes even as we move with deliberate violence to remove from power a despotic ruler? It is, perhaps, a question that cannot be answered.
It would not be fair or right to say that I welcome trial or persecution, but the inevitable result when they come is a decided turn toward God. It’s similar to the point made by Solomon, when he said,
""It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, Because that is the end of every man, and the living takes it to heart." (Ecclesiastes 7:2)
In spite of sometime feelings of invincibility, deep down inside we know we are mortal creatures. When confronted with our own mortality we get real serious, real fast. This is a good result, for it produces some important responses:
And, when those attributes are present, we are all the better for it. But, it is not enough to just be more sensitive to spiritual things, for that is little more than faith that attempts to stand alone. We cannot be justified by faith that does not work (James 2:18-26).
It is futile for man to attempt to save himself, as though works of his own devising or merit are of any value against moral wickedness. To attempt to save oneself on that basis is to make a demand upon God as though He is in debt to us, and that cannot be true (see Romans 4:4-16).
Yet, how faith responds is of tantamount importance. For example, that troublesome Biblical teaching called "baptism" is greatly in dispute in religious circles, but the scripture makes a clear declaration of its import:
"…having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead" (Colossians 2:12).
Surely no man can scripturally say that he is raised up in Christ though faith in his own flawless performance. Rather, it is in God’s working according to His promise, when we are submissive to His instructions.
It is wonderful that people are being turned to tender hearts by the tragedies of both attack and war, but unless and until those tender hearts turns also to obedience, it is of little practical or eternal value.