Today is September 11. The numbers 911 were first used as an emergency call in 1968. The call was made in Haleyville, Alabama, near where I grew up. ATT adopted it as the universal emergency number the same year.
On September 11, 2001, the number took on a much darker significance. At 8:46 that morning, the first plane, under terrorist control, struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York. Four planes were used in the attack that day and almost 3,000 people lost their lives in the four attacks.
Today is September 11, a day that will live in infamy in our nation’s history. We mourn the events of that day as the nation observes the memorial.
For many years, when I saw the numbers 911 my memory went back to that awful day in our history. I can remember the details of the morning as I sat at my desk watching the events unfold. I visited every classroom in the middle school where I was principal and tried to calm and reassure the students and teachers all the while dealing with the situation myself. I just wanted to be home with my wife and children.
When I see the number 911 today, a different thought comes to mind. Paul tells us in Philippians to control our thoughts and think on good things (Phil 4:8, 9). I have made a conscious effort to replace a dark memory associated with 911. I now recall a passage from Hebrews, remembering the first three words.
Hebrews 9:11 begins with “But Christ came…”
When I see the numbers 911, I immediately think “But Christ came.”
As I think about the dark world in which we live and consider the evil that prompted the events of September 11, 2001, I think about the events of Calvary 2,000 years ago and the evil that caused that event. But I am so thankful for that event. I am so thankful for the fact that Christ came. Because of those three words, I can face tomorrow.