25 Years Later: Breaking the Bonds

Every year when 9/11 rolls around, it still gets me emotional.

Twenty-five years ago, I was aboard the USS ENTERPRISE (CVN 65), turning around and heading back toward the fight.

We were devastated. Our families were devastated. Our country was devastated.

Just weeks before, I had lost a nephew in a horrible automobile accident. We had already spent months deployed in the Mediterranean Sea and in the Persian Gulf, coming to the end of a six-month deployment, and I was finally on my way home.

Then everything changed.

I remember the emotions—fear, uncertainty, sadness, and eventually anger. Like so many Americans, my grief turned toward a desire for justice… and, if I'm being completely honest, revenge.

Twenty-five years later, I look back at that younger version of myself and realize something.

Hatred has a way of becoming a chain.

Fear can become a chain. Anger can become a chain. Anxiety can become a chain. Even the desire to get even can become a chain. And sometimes we don't realize we're bound until we try to walk away.

Today, I find myself thinking about how much our world has changed—and how much it hasn't.

We still see country against country. Culture against culture. Race against race. Religion against religion. Neighbor against neighbor. We have become very good at identifying what separates us and sometimes forgotten what makes us human. Somewhere along the way, we've gotten lost.

But here's what I've learned in the 25 years since that terrible day:

God doesn't ask us to carry hatred. He asks us to carry hope.

He doesn't call us to live imprisoned by fear. He calls us to walk by faith.

He doesn't tell us to pretend evil doesn't exist.

He tells us that evil doesn't get the final word.

And perhaps one of the greatest miracles I've witnessed over these past 25 years isn't that our world became less broken.

It's that God has continued mending broken hearts in the middle of it.

• I've watched Him take grief and turn it into compassion.

• I've watched Him take anger and teach forgiveness.

• I've watched Him take fear and replace it with courage.

• I've watched Him take broken people—including me—and slowly put the pieces back together.

God, we still need You.

Walking with God isn't easy.  He never promised it would be. He told us there would be persecution.  He warned us that the enemy would be relentless. He called us to take up our cross and follow Him. And I've learned that commitment isn't a part-time job.  There are no part-time positions in the Kingdom of God.

So, Father, arm us with Your Word. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit.  Give us the wisdom to know when to fight and the humility to know when to forgive. Help us break the bonds of hatred.

Help us face our fears instead of allowing fear to control us. Help us overcome anxiety by remembering who is holding tomorrow. Give us the courage to stand for what is right without becoming consumed by anger toward those who disagree with us. Give us “stick and rudder,” Lord. Help us navigate these turbulent waters. Guide our families. Strengthen our churches. Comfort those who are mourning. Heal those who are hurting. Protect those who serve this great nation. And guide our leaders with wisdom and discernment. Amen

Twenty-five years later, I still remember where I was when our world changed.  But I don't want to live in that moment forever.

I want to remember.

I want to honor.

I want to learn.

And most importantly, I want to keep moving forward with Christ.

Because the enemy would love nothing more than for 9/11 to leave us permanently afraid, permanently angry, and permanently divided. But Jesus offers something better.

Freedom.

Freedom from hatred. Freedom from fear. Freedom from bitterness. Freedom from anxiety.

And freedom to love, forgive, serve, and hope. That's the work God has been doing in my heart for these 25 years. I'm still a work in progress. But I know this:

Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world.

So today, I choose hope.

I choose faith.

I choose forgiveness.

And I choose to let God continue mending what this broken world keeps trying to tear apart.

Father, thank You for allowing me to serve You another day. Protect our families. Protect those who serve. Comfort those who still carry the wounds of September 11th. And help us never forget—but also help us never stop healing. We love You. We praise You. And we rejoice in knowing that in You, all things are possible. In Your Holy Name, Amen again!

P.S. … Yep, it's me again, Lord.”

Thanks for listening.

— Ricky