Osama Bin Laden is dead.
When I first heard the news, I'll admit that my immediate reaction was a huge sigh of relief. He's gone. He's dead. He can't hurt any more people. I proceeded to run downstairs, saying excitedly, "Turn on the TV! He's dead! He's finally dead!" I felt like one of the munchkins from the Wizard of Oz, singing, "Ding dong, the wicked witch is dead." At first, I was so very excited.
Although I never personally knew anyone who died on 9/11, I was still hugely affected by that attack. I was nearly nine years old at the time and I was old enough to understand that something very, very cruel and inhumane had just occurred, but I was too young to truly understand what was going on. He killed all of those people, so why would he not kill me? I was terrified that Bin Laden -the evil man on the television- would come after me and my family next.
Osama Bin Laden represented all of the fear I felt for two terror-filled years of my childhood. I had panic attacks as a nine year old girl that sent me to the emergency room. My insomnia began around that time. I wouldn't go outside. I wouldn't eat or drink for fear of anthrax poisoning. Whenever I heard a plane fly overhead, tears would fill my eyes. Of course Bin Laden wasn't the sole cause of the Twin Towers attack, but because he was such a leader, in my young mind, he represented everything horrible and frightening and inhuman about what was going on in the world. Even for years after, an image of his face would send cold chills down my spine.
So why am I not glad he's dead?
After watching the news with my family, when I went back upstairs to my bedroom, I sat down and burst into tears because an image of my Savior flashed through my mind. Jesus Christ, sitting in heaven with tears streaming down His scarred face. After He suffered and died for every person on earth, yet another of His children will spend eternity in hell. Despite how many people Osama Bin Laden murdered... despite how many lives were destroyed because of this man, Jesus still died for him. Jesus gave His life for Osama Bin Laden. And now Bin Laden's soul will burn in hell for eternity.
Did he deserve it? He certainly did. Do I deserve such a thing? Yes. Yes, I do.
A tear rolls down my cheek as I write these words. I never, never thought I would cry over the death of Osama Bin Laden.
Right now, nearly everyone I know is rejoicing over the death of Osama Bin Laden and for a little while, I was too. In my mind, the last piece of that part my life is finally gone. No more destruction at the hands of Bin Laden. But I can't rejoice at the death of the man anymore.
Osama Bin Laden was created and cherished by God. He turned away from God's plans, and I'm sure that must break the Lord's heart.
We may be rejoicing down here on earth, but surely, surely Jesus is mourning. His child is lost for eternity.
After a long, rambling, and probably purposeless blog entry, I've come to a final thought. I will rejoice that no more destruction will come at the hand of Osama Bin Laden. I'm so glad he can do no more damage and will shatter no more lives. But I ache for the lost soul of a fellow human being. And I ache because surely the heart of Jesus Christ -the One who suffered and bled on a cross for those like Osama Bin Laden and me- is aching too.
You have a beautiful heart. I never even thought of it this way!
ReplyDeleteYou are coco puffs.
ReplyDeleteJudgement belongs to GOD and He needs no help with it. He may have repented with his last breath. Luke 23:34 Father forgive them, for they know not what they do. That was Jesus crucified for all! We as christians have to be careful to remember our place in His will. 1 John 3:15 whosoever hateth his brother is a muderer: that makes us no better than he is. I pray for him to come to know the truth and have a change of heart. What kind of heaven would it be if we was to see those that did not overcome burn in hell for all eternity! Love your Brother as you love the Lord.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Anonymous. But I really have no idea of how to react to his death. I was just I toddler when 9/11 happened. A lot of people at school where talking about this, but my health and history teacher seemed kind of uncertain. One of them asked why we were rejoicing over someone's death, no matter who he was. But this article, if I may say so, has given me something to think about.
ReplyDeleteYes I agree that he is a human being and we do not know his heart, but when I think of the lives that he was responsible for taking. Was he even a believer? Here is a quote from Osama bin Laden himself - "Allah knows it did not cross our minds to attack the towers but after the situation became unbearable and we witnessed the injustice and tyranny of the American/Israeli alliance against our people in Palestine and Lebanon, I thought about it. And the events that affected me directly were that of 1982 and the events that followed – when America allowed the Israelis to invade Lebanon, helped by the U.S. Sixth Fleet. As I watched the destroyed towers in Lebanon, it occurred to me punish the unjust the same way (and) to destroy towers in America so it could taste some of what we are tasting and to stop killing our children and women." – Osama bin Laden, 2004
ReplyDeleteHe wanted us to taste what he thought we made him taste. I am not his judge. God will be his judge.
Thank you!! These were my feelings exactly. I was watching my newsfeed on Facebook fill up with people telling him to burn in hell and stuff like that and it was breaking my heart. I found Proverbs 24:17 and posted it but my own uncle kept commenting on it with things like "May he burn in hell." He was a person... and we should never, EVER rejoice at the damnation of anyone.
ReplyDeleteThis is what old my youth pastor said, "Christians, we don't celebrate anyone going to hell. It's one thing for the world to be a place with one less evil person. It's another thing altogether to jeer at the fact that he's in hell. Remember that it should be you.....but Jesus stepped into your place on the cross."
I'm glad you see this way. Everyone should see this way.
ReplyDeleteThis was actually the first I had heard of his death, it prompted me to google it.. this is the sort of news I never thought I'd hear.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the entry was purposeless, by the way.. I think you make a very, very valid point.. because, if in God's eyes, no one sin is worse.. what right do we have to rejoice over the death of someone we deem to be a sinner, when we all sin?
I'm glad that no more shall suffer at the hand on Bin Laden, yes, but I don't think I could rejoice over his death in itself. If Bin Laden didn't repent, then he's destined for Hell, and, yes, everyone deserves that, but it's needless.
As Christians, we're called to love.. and that means loving Bin Laden too, a very challenging thought.
I'm not entirely sure what to think about this.. but I think you're very wise, and I think you have a valuable insight into a point of view that many don't share.
I agree...when I saw the news, I wasn't sure how to react. I definitely am glad that we don't have to worry about him anymore, but at the same time...his soul is lost. I couldn't celebrate his death...you really do have a beautiful heart luv. Let what you saw be something that encourages you to minister to others who don't know the joys of loving the Lord. Thank you for sharing this with us, my prayers are with you :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with most of this. The Bible says, "Vengeance is mine, says the Lord." But then, isn't the ability of the US government to track down and put to death such an abhorrent man the method that God would choose to use to take him out? By that definition, this was God's vengeance, and therefore we should rejoice at the fulfillment of His will. I would not presume to say every action of the US military is the will of God, but surely the removal of such an evil man from His earth is His will. Finally, if the knowledge that we as a nation would spend over ten years searching for someone that would do this to our nation can convince just ONE terrorist that his idea may not be worth it, and we saved our nation from just ONE attack, then isn't that enough to rejoice over? You make a great point, but those are my thoughts...
ReplyDelete