Those were the darkest 102 minutes in the history of the United States. From the impact of the first plane and the North Tower of the World Trade Center (WTC), on September 11, 2001, until the second tower crumbled, it seemed as 102 eternal minutes ticking by while the entire world seemed to have lost its breath.
“A plane collided with the WTC, there is fire, a lot of smoke, but don’t be afraid,” stated Tony Rocha to his wife, Marylin Marques, before the telephone went dead. In 1994, when he finished a degree in Business Administration, Tony and Marylin got married. Besides being a good husband and father, he became a respected bond broker on Wall Street for Cantor Fitzgerald Securities, whose offices were located in the in the WTC North Tower. Cantor lost 700 of its 1,000 employees, among them Tony, who besides his wife, left behind two small children.
When we travel by bus, subway or plane, we encounter many people. Some immerse themselves in books or newspapers; others look out the window indifferent toward the passenger beside them. Lost glances of lives that come and go. So many emotional traumas: sadness, disillusionments, broken dreams, tragedies, longing! Who doesn’t carry around some of these things with them? How many Marylins drag along through life without their Tonys?
But the truth is that the greatest part of life is not generally made up of uncommon disasters or joys. Actually the opposite is true; we are almost always experiencing a routine of common events. It is during these times that we should prepare ourselves to face the traumas and the tragedies. But how? First, it is good to know that God wants to free you from a past of painful experiences, curing your traumas and restoring your emotional balance. In this way, you can look to the future with hope, even knowing that there will be difficult experiences. A constant relationship with God in “the good times” is what strengthens us for the storms of life.
Additionally, it is good to remember that according to Fernando Sabino, a well-known Brazilian writer, “in the end everything works out right; if it still hasn’t worked out that’s because the end has not yet arrived”. That’s right. The Bible guarantees that this world will have a happy ending for those who believe this – the end of tragedies, the end of pain, the end of death. Jesus promised in more than 2,500 Bible texts that His return is certain and that this event will be the solution for all human problems. And the Master never deceived.
It is as if we could hear the Lord saying: There is fire, a lot of smoke, but don’t be afraid. “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things [including peace] shall be added unto you. Take therefore not thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.” (Matthew 6:33, 34). “Casting all your care upon [Me]; for [I ] careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:7). “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:1-3).
Never forget that beyond the clouds of tragedies and sadness many times surrounding our life, there is the sun of hope. This sun has a name and that name is Jesus.
Michelson Borges
