Feature:Opinion

Out of the darkness and into the light

Norm Coleman Contributor
Font Size:

On 9/11, our hearts were broken and our sorrow was multiplied.

Yet, on the Sunday after 9/11, thousands of Minnesotans joined millions of Americans from every walk of life to honor the fallen and to express our fierce determination that we would not fall victim to the fear and hatred of those who had killed so many of our fellow citizens.

On the steps of Minnesota’s state capitol that day, I sought solace from the verses of Psalm 37, which offered to me then, as it does now, the comfort that on the other side of evil lies the great hope and peace that is promised to us by a loving God.

Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

We know that bin Laden is dead, al Qaeda is on the run and there will come a time for others who are evil to meet their just ends.

Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.

Americans have often turned to prayer during the most difficult times in our history. We believe that by trusting in God, the judgment he will render will indeed vindicate our belief that America’s best days lie ahead.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

The 9/11 attacks renewed many Americans’ commitment to their fellow citizens. Some chose career paths that reflected their personal values, turning sorrow and pain into promise and opportunity. Countless others reflected on what was important to them, their families and their communities, and took positive action to make them better.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret — it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

Today, in the midst of such terrible economic suffering and despair, we are tempted to grow weary and angry. Anger has too often replaced that post-9/11 spirit of community that made those who sought to divide us tremble when they saw us come together instead.

There is too much anger in Washington. Our ability to solve tough problems is foreclosed by our inability to come together and find some common ground.

Upon reflection, there’s nothing more important for us all, as Americans, than finding that path we all followed ten years ago out of the darkness and into the light.

We all hoped that kinder hearts, softer words and extended hands would be the permanent legacies of 9/11.

Sadly, the world remains a dangerous place, one in which fear and anxiety about the future test our patience that evil can indeed be destroyed.

On September 11, 2001, by trusting our nation’s safety in the blessings of God, and with the collective determination of a grieving nation that would find love and understanding in the midst of the wicked and their wicked ways, America regained its purpose.

On September 11, 2011, Americans would do well to remember how the terror that nearly drove us apart truly brought us together.

In order to honor the legacy of those who died on that mournful day ten years ago, let us again find that spirit of community that, in the weeks after 9/11, helped heal our sadness and restore our confidence and pride.

In the ashes of the evil and the anger that threatened to take away all that we are as Americans, a sense of unity arose in our land, igniting the promise and purpose of everything that we always will be as America. It’s time to rekindle that flame.

Former Sen. Norm Coleman is the senior government advisor at Hogan Lovells US LLP and the chairman of the American Action Network.