This week we mourn the 15th anniversary of September 11, 2001. We recall the day a decade and a half ago when members of Al-Qaeda rammed two 197.5 ton planes into the twin towers and thus killing 2,996 Americans and injuring 6,000 more. We remember the day when we were bluntly reminded that we live in a fallen world, a world which groans for the return of Christ. This week we grieve with the families of those lost on 9/11, for those whose lives were cut painfully short by evil men, for those who died as victims and those who died as heroes.

On this anniversary of 9/11, as we  mourn, we must also confront the truth that the American conscience has been scarred.

Americans have always been optimistic overcomers. We still are, in a sense. But through the horror of 9/11 we lost some of the innocent optimism that America has always been known for. How does one process the deaths of nearly 3,000 Americans, most of whom were civilians, most of whom were crushed, incinerated and smothered in a 3-hour time span? We’ve lost thousands of Americans in wars past and we’ve rebuilt ourselves, but 9/11 was different; we lost thousands of brothers and sisters in mere moments. We rebuilt after 9/11, but we were scarred in a way we’ve never been scarred before.

And so I turn to the wisdom of Ecclesiastes 3, reminded that there is a season for everything in life. While this time is difficult for all, we can unite in this season as Americans and as Christians to weep, to mourn, and to remember.