Staying Power

As we approach the 20th anniversary of the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil, I'm inclined to talk about Americans' ability to focus on anything for any amount of time.

Let's be honest. As much as we believe these United States were founded on Christian principles of equality and authority given by the one divine God, we are now a very hedonistic society. While we may not hear it spoken out loud, many Americans' attitude is akin to "what have you done for me lately," or "what's in it for me?" So, you disagree with me? When is the last time your home internet went down, or your phone didn't have service? What was your response?

As Americans, we've grown accustomed to having things our way. We get food delivered exactly as we desire it. We can choose the exact car we want from a lot of tens or hundreds, and if they don't have it we can order it. We can order anything we want on the internet - and I do mean anything. They'll even ship it in a nondescript box. Want to watch football? There's the NFL channel. Want comedy? Try Comedy Central. Music? Turn to CMT, MTV, or any number of Pandora channels. My 20-year-old niece can vote for a President without an ID. We can buy marijuana legally in 20 states. We can get porn on our phones in less than 20 seconds.

What will we wait 20 years to achieve? What about 9/11 will we even really remember 20 years later? Will it take 20 seconds to recall our feelings when we realized what was actually happening? When the Towers finally fell, it didn't take 20 seconds to kill more than 3,000 people.

The Taliban waited 20 years to retake Kabul - that's staying power. They lost an entire generation of fighters, yet they stood defiantly atop U.S. equipment, bearing U.S. arms, and banning U.S. initiatives, like 20-year-old nieces attending university - or voting at all. That all occurred not much more than 20 days ago. Do we remember?

“Everybody wants to talk about their rights and privileges. Twenty-five years ago, people talked about their obligations and responsibilities." - Lou Holtz, Notre Dame Football

What "rights" and "privileges" do we owe to our Afghan brothers and sisters who aided us over 20 years of war? What "obligations" and "responsibilities" do we have to them after their generation of sacrifices? Are we, the sole superpower, relegated to negotiating for safe passage of those Afghans while we sit idly by and watch the rest of the country fall into Sharia hell?

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (Gal 6:9, NIV)

Are we not God's hands and feet? If asked, will Afghans identify America as a Christian nation based on the way we loved them, or will they lump us in with the rest of the world, hedonistic, more concerned with our own comfort than their basic human freedoms? If Christ charged us with loving our neighbors as we love ourselves, don't we owe it to our Afghan neighbors to bring them home - all of them? Or, are we satisfied in saving a few thousand while the rest languish. Is 7,000 miles too far for neighbors? Where is our staying power?

As servant leaders, it is our job to forgive trespasses, but never forget our responsibilities to trespassers or those being trespassed against. Whether it's been 20 minutes, 20 days, or 20 years, we must remain vigilant - never growing weary of well doing. Our faith is tested by the action of time. Our faith is proven by actions over time.

It's been 20 years since the Towers fell.

What will the world say about America as a Christian nation 20 years from now?

(Photo: Jesustrek.com)