"Surely
our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves
esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted"
(Isaiah 53:4)
One of our
extraordinary "finds" in New York
was the "Metrocard." We were trying to remain on budget but found that
our schedule required us to be "everywhere" - How would we get around?
We WALKED a lot as many do in New York, which had the surprising outcome
that I lost 8-pounds during our stay – observing that New Yorkers are
generally in better "shape" than Californians.
The Metrocard was a
wonderful help, and Genevieve introduced me to it on our first day. We
needed to travel several miles in a short time, opting for the "7-day"
card, which surprisingly offered full bus and subway travel during the
next week. We went EVERYWHERE. We ran for one bus, got off, went to
the subway, took the train, left that one and sought another. It was
wonderful - we just placed it in the slot, listened to the little "beep"
and off we went!
We could travel from
Central Park to Battery Park in
just minutes if we took the right train, and the "right" train or bus
was usually there. I found myself remembering our time in Israel two
years before, when Adnod the driver always was there for us at precisely
the right time.
While in New York we twice visited the World Trade
Center, now called "Ground Zero". Discussing that place, Rick Camacho,
Director of Mission New York City, told us that about 1/3 of those in
Manhattan act like nothing ever happened. It's "business as usual".
Many others are "in between" but another 1/3 experience severe grief in
relation to the events of September 11th.
At the viewpoint, we
saw that the World Trade Center had
become much like the deserts and mountains of Southern Arizona – bleak
and empty. It had been a place full of life and activity, but now there
was nothing but an enormous hole.
We listened to a
police officer at the observation point, who was speaking to a mixed
group of children and adults. One of them told him of a friend who saw
several people jump from one of the twin towers and that person was
having nightmares. They asked the police officer if he had them, too.
He replied, “No, I wouldn’t call them nightmares; they’re more like very
bad dreams.”
As people drifted
away, we stayed with the officer, whose name turned out to be Dion. He
had just attended the memorial service for an officer from his precinct
who had “simply disappeared – had never been seen again.” Dion told of
losing “many friends” because of Ground Zero.
We asked if he and
the other officers had received grief counseling in relation to what had
happened. He responded, “Oh, yes, they offered psychologists, social
workers and counselors. It didn’t seem to change anything – they might
as well have sent us to a chiropractor.” He spoke of the “helplessness”
they all felt in relation to the events of September 11, 2001, continuing that it was
“an experience greater than anything we could deal with.”
I said “God bless
you” to him as we parted, and he responded in kind. We looked into each
other’s eyes for a moment, and I saw the great pain in this man’s soul.
We were in Brooklyn a couple of days later and met
with John, another police officer. We told him Dion’s words, and John
completely agreed. He said that “many will retire soon, because they do
not want to go on, anymore.” We asked about the counseling they
received, and he said, “yes, they sent us to training sessions with
officers who were about to retire, and they told us about the counselors
available… Most did not go to them.”
There's so much
grief in this world. We all seem to have our personal "Ground Zero"
experiences, though mercifully most of them are much smaller in scale
than the events in New York City.
But the "small" hurts that come to us all, don't seem "small", when it's
your tragedy or mine. The mortality rate for the human race is 100% and
we inevitably experience great sorrow in life.
History is
unfortunately full of senseless violence and so is the daily newspaper.
There is something wrong with people, but in the Bible Chapter called
Isaiah 53, we learn of God's Solution to this heart of darkness within
the center of mankind. We are all condemned - but God the Father sent
His Son to die in our place.
The Son came to us
as a simple, poor man, ordinary in appearance (Isaiah 53:2). He was not
esteemed for Who He Was (verse 3). He experienced the same griefs and
sorrows we all know, yet more, for He carried ours as well (verse 4).
He went to the cross and died for our sins (verse 5). We like to do
things OUR way and many of us have done the unthinkable, but He died for
our iniquity (verse 6). He quietly took our place and was slaughtered
like an innocent lamb (verse 7). He was killed for the oppressiveness
of people within humanity (verse 8). He died as though He was a sinner
and yet was placed into a rich man's tomb (verse 9). The Father was
content that He would have grief, for in His death, He bore your guilt
and mine (verse 10). God’s displeasure with us is satisfied because the
Son died for our sins (verse 11). Jesus Christ is your Hero and mine,
because He gave up everything, dying for you and me (verse 12).
Some are terrorists
who do horrible things and though they may act in the name of religion,
are condemned by a holy God. Others compare themselves to those who are
blatantly evil and decide, "I'm not so bad", but God views it this way:
"ALL have sinned and come
short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). When the Savior died, He died for
us all.
In New York, we paid for a Metrocard, which
allowed us to ride for a week. God has enabled us to enter His kingdom
forever, through the blood of Christ. Do you have your Ticket? His
Name is Jesus Christ. There is no charge, for He has paid the price.
Save us, Lord,
forgive us, and grant us peace in Him. In Jesus Name. Amen.
