It is the 13th anniversary of 9/11 and here’s a sobering thought for you: with the exception of a handful of 8th-graders, none of our students were born when September 11th happened. And for those few 8th-graders who were, they would have been just infants themselves, with no recollection of that day.
Not like the rest of us. Like most, if not all, Americans who were old enough to understand what happened that day, the events of September 11, 2001 are burned in our minds and imprinted upon our hearts. For the generation before us, the question was always asked, “Where were you when JFK was shot?” Before that, it was “Where were you when Pearl Harbor was bombed?” For us, it will always be, “Where were you on 9/11?” Perhaps a better question would be, as Alan Jackson so eloquently sang, “Where were you when the world stopped turning?”
Our current students have not known a time when our nation wasn’t at war. They have grown up hearing daily about Iraq and Afghanistan, the war on terror, drone strikes, and bombings. September 11th did more than shatter our innocence; it stole the sense of peace that we once knew. We have to work hard to show our children how to live in peace, to teach them about just war, to remind them of God’s goodness in this beautiful world He created. We must also be sure that, especially since they don’t have the personal recollections that we do, they understand the significance of that day and what can be learned from it.
So how will you answer your children when they ask about 9/11? Will you try to explain why it happened? Will you tell them stories of the heroes from that day? Most importantly, will you remind them that there is always hope, even in the wake of a tragedy like that?
“But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.” 1 Peter 3:15
Join us today in prayer in remembrance of September 11, 2001.
Additional Resources: http://www.911memorial.org/teach-learn http://teachinghistory.org/spotlight/september11 http://www.911memorial.org/talk-children-about-911
Seton Spirit 