In the days following the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York’s twin towers and the Pentagon, everything that had been secure in our country suddenly became shaky. Peter Jennings came on TV at the end of his newscast the day after the buildings collapsed and said, “Talk to your children tonight, and assure them they’ll be safe.”
Nate and I had been watching together, and I said, “Children shouldn’t be told that, because it’s not true.”
We talked for a few minutes about the safety we do or don’t have in our country or on this earth and concluded it would be a lie to assure our children of something that isn’t a sure thing. The only guaranteed safety anywhere is in Christ, and that doesn’t include earthly safety. It’s only after death and leaving this world to live with the Lord that we can be sure no harm will come to us ever again.
After 9/11, security measures in America were drastically heightened. Waiting in long airport lines became standard for flyers. Anyone who seemed suspect in any way was pulled aside (as Nate was here) and “wanded” or searched, but if it meant we’d be safer on airplanes, we were willing.
Despite added rules and more personnel watching over us, safety still wasn’t guaranteed. We witnessed the shoe bomb, the underwear bomb, the SUV bomb in Times Square, the Boston Marathon bombs, and others. What can keep the next angry bomb-maker from succeeding?
A widow friend told me recently of her battle with fear immediately after her husband died. She’d never spent a night alone and had difficulty sleeping for fear of a break-in. Every noise gave her a chill. Sadly, no one can assure her a break-in will never occur.
Our own daughters, while living in Chicago, walked home from work with pepper spray in hand. Two blocks north of their neighborhood a pair of friends had been clubbed with a baseball bat, both hospitalized after the attack with one critically injured.
So what are we to do about life as we know it, since we’re all forced to live in a world fraught with danger? The only answer is to trust God for our ultimate security, which may not come until after we die. Nate, having left this world, is now 100% secure. No more airport security searches, no more dangers of any kind. He’s untouchable.
In the mean time, we can try to keep our children safe while telling them about Jesus. We could also install alarm systems or even hire armed guards, but who are we fooling? Bad things will continue to happen to good people. Although our bodies and earthly lives will always be at risk in this shaky world, our souls can be secure in God’s unshakable care. Once we believe this, we can rest easy.
”In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.”
