I Feel Conflicted…

The news of Osama Bin Laden’s death is good news regarding the war on terror. It is a testament to the bravery of our troops and the willingness of our people to fight to preserve our freedom and that of our brothers and sisters around the world. There is no doubt that when we make evil choices, there are consequences; and after a lifetime of choosing evil, Bin Laden has paid with his life. There is justice for the thousands upon thousands of lives lost at the hands of Osama Bin Laden, not only in the attacks of 9/11, but throughout his lifelong history of terror.

But I can’t help but feel just a little bit sick to my stomach about this, either, for a variety of reasons. The first is very simple. Across the country and across the world, this morning, there are thousands… hundreds of thousands… maybe millions who believe the war on terror is now over. It is not. It would be unwise to throw caution to the wind now, embracing the thought process that Bin Laden was the only threat to our peace and freedom. Organizations like al qaeda are not run by one man. Even if Bin Laden had been captured or killed within moments of the 9/11 attacks, terrorist organizations would still exist. The fact that he had almost a decade to continue to strengthen al queda… to continue to train others to fight like he fought… this does not bode well, and we must not now let down our guard.

The second reason I feel conflicted, today, will meet with more controversy than the first, I’m sure. As I was pondering this news last night, the thought that crossed my mind was, “Jesus died for Osama Bin Laden, too”. Nobody wants to hear that. The truth is; I didn’t really want to think it. But it is so. If it is true that Jesus took all of our sin upon himself at his death, then Jesus also took Bin Laden’s sin. He also felt the great darkness of what would befall the American people on 9/11. And Jesus’ hope was that Bin Laden would turn from this. Jesus always wants people to turn from their sin and to follow Him. Osama Bin Laden wasn’t the exception.

And so I think that God must be sad. I think that God must be sad, because Osama Bin Laden wasted the life he was given. And I think that God must be sad that Osama Bin Laden died in his sins. With that in mind, I think that we must be sad, as well.

Now, I am not a pacifist by any stretch of the imagination. I believe there is a time for war, and I believe that the armed forces of our nation have acted courageously and heroically. There are clear instances in Scripture when God actually delivers the enemy into the hands of people who seek Him, and I am thankful that Bin Laden is no longer a threat. I support our troops 100%, and I am proud to be an American.

Still… as we reflect today, let us remember that each of us has a decision to make. God has a plan for our lives, so instead of rejoicing in the death of another human being, let us look toward what we can do to refrain from wasting the days we have been given and to be transformed into the people we were created to be.

Lisa