The Day America Was Violated

Have you ever had someone invade your space and snatch your sense of peace and safety right from you?  Has there ever been a time that you felt so small that you felt like no one could really see you?  Well there was a day that my feelings of violation, anxiety and fear were shared by the rest of my nation exactly 16 years today.

The day of assault started like any other day.  I was on the phone with my older brother one early morning telling him about my decision to be a stay-at-home mom to my firstborn son, Joey.  I just informed my job about me not returning just a month or so before.  As I was ending the conversation with my older brother, my younger brother, who lived with me at the time, called my name from the living room.  I was ending the call soon, so I thought that he could wait.  He yelled my name once again and out of nowhere busted into my room, grabbed the remote and said, “TURN ON THE TV!!!  Don’t you hear me calling you?!!”  I thought: What is so stinking important?.  All of a sudden I saw it!  The building across from my, now, former job was on fire and every local news station was covering it.  The day was September 11, 2001 a little past 8 am.

I was stuck staring at the television that showed the building I used to go into for bagels, one of the Twin Towers, on fire.  My younger brother told me a plane just crashed into the building.  At some point I hung up with my older brother–but I don’t even know when–and went to the living room and out of pure helplessness, I called my former co-workers, but obviously, there were no answers.  I convinced myself that this had to be a camera trick.  My world was moving in slow motion as I watched a second plane smash into the second tower.  I did the only thing I could do and tried calling my former co-workers in desperation, again, no one answered.  I was in complete denial as I watched the towers fall as if an invisible hand was pushing them down like a sandcastle.  I felt absolutely helpless as I watched people scream through the streets that I used to walk through. I then realized that that could have been me.

Many people know the story of this very sad, sad day.  Unfortunately, this attack was followed by the attack on the Pentagon!  A third plane was strategically flown into the Pentagon building for maximum damage.  Then there was a fourth plane crash in a remote area that was meant for one more place, some think it set for the White House.

I was like every other American, I wanted answers.  After, it was confirmed that terrorists were behind this tragedy, everyone wanted to know, “What happens next?  How do we get them back?  When do we go to war?” The ink from President Bush’s signature wasn’t even dry before the troops were in the air, ready to find those responsible for this tragedy.  The military was filled with angry, determined, focused soldiers that day.

A Call To Arms

I don’t know what it’s like to fight in a physical war. However, I know what it’s like to feel hopeless because the blows of life just wouldn’t stop.  I know what it’s like to have an enemy invade my space and bring terror.  When I was five years old, my mother made the painful decision to leave me with other family members while she tried to get herself on her feet after moving to the U.S. from Jamaica one year before.  The absence of my mother gave me extreme separation anxiety.  She would visit me as often as she could, but every time she left, a part of me died.  My cousin used that opportunity to prey on me.  He told me that if I did not perform sexual acts on him that he would tell my mother to not come and visit me.  At the age of five in a foreign country with family members who I was not familiar with, it was the worst thing he could’ve said to me.  I would have rather you rip my heart out, blend it and hand it back to me than to take away my mother.

My cousin violated me, just like America was violated when terrorists came in and took away our sense of safety.  However, America did not allow those, behind such a vile act, get away so easily.  War was started with no hesitation.  We Christians are not called to flee the battlefield when the enemy musters up enough guts to attack us.  You see, America is known for their military skills.  Anyone that comes against America has to prepare for retaliation.  This nation has not trained their soldiers to run or ignore an attack, neither do Christians.  Christians are supposed to be soldiers, ambassadors, warriors and more.

For us not to retaliate against the enemy is like President Bush doing a press conference to address the attack on America, confirming that it was a terrorist attack, saying that the nation will come together to clean up the streets of NYC and Virginia, extending his condolences to those who lost loved ones, and after the clean-up was over, do absolutely NOTHING!  Would we, as Americans, allow that?  No way!

The very first thing we wanted to know would be,  “When do we attack?!  When do we leave?” There would be no hesitation, no question of the cost to go to war.  There would be no debate. Thankfully, not only did our president clean up the rubble left behind from the attack, but there was a call to arms.  President Bush didn’t have to beg people to enlist.  America knew what was needed.

While the war was on, he also looked to see how they got into America in the first place.  He was determined not to let this happened again.  He seized all those that played a part on the attack.  I want to take time to talk to all those that have been attacked at one point.  The assault is over, the dust has cleared. It’s clear that someone has come into your space and has taken your peace, and feeling of safety…what’s next.  Do you just get attacked and clean up the mess without retaliation?  Do you let them steal, kill and destroy without repercussion?

Our battle is not against flesh and blood.  My cousin was just a puppet in a bigger plan.  We all have an enemy.  If we can come to the conclusion that we have an adversary and he has raged war against us why do we have such a passive attitude towards it all?  When I found out that the enemy tried to rob me of the life God had for me, I didn’t just ask God to heal me and put me back together from being robbed of my innocence and childhood — there was a call to arms.

I Am Not Weaponless

When God called us to fight, he didn’t leave us weaponless; he has equipped us with everything to come out on top.  God has given us: the Word of God, our faith, our prayers, our obedience and other soldiers (fellow Christians) fighting alongside me in the same war.

So after getting the weapons, what is next? We need to learn about our enemy the devil and find out his tactics. This way he can never attack us the same way over and over again. When I took the weapons God gave me and learned the tactics of my enemy, God gave me one last weapon.  This weapon is unique for all of us.  It is one that gets stronger the more you stay with Him.   It’s a weapon that builds its self up the longer you are on the battlefield.  It is the weapon of “The story of how you overcome and the word of your testimony.”  Look at what it says in Revelation 12:11.

They triumphed over him
    by the blood of the Lamb
    and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
    as to shrink from death.

I entered the battlefield of ministry and used my testimony as a weapon against the enemy to help others, that’s how I got here with you. When I started using my testimony as a weapon, Satan had to think carefully and strategically before attacking me.  The more he chose to come up against me the more ammo he was giving me.  I had determined within myself that I would not be struck down and that I won’t ever be destroyed.  His blows may hurt for awhile, but when I recovered, not IF but WHEN,  from any attack he had better watch out.
Friend if there is no other blog post you need to read, please read and take this one seriously. You have God, but you also have an enemy. I did not know anything about a man thousands of miles away named Osama Bin Ladan. He meant nothing to me  and I didn’t care about his gang of Taliban until September 11, 2001, 16 years ago, when he made himself known. Satan meant nothing to me until I realized he took things from me that I could not get back.

Weekly Challenge:

I would love for you to think for a moment, what have you done to arm yourself against the attacks of the enemy? Have you let the enemy attack your without consequence? Is there a part of your story that is perfect ammo but you are too scared to use it? We want to hear from you in the comments below! Also, if you want to stop being the victim and want to become the victor, but not sure how and need help, send us an email or comment below if you feel comfortable. Also if you would like to hear more about my testimony read my book, “The Threshing: A Weapon Forged by Fire.” Sign up here to read the first three chapters for free!
You can also buy the full book on Amazon!