Book by 9-11 Widow Reaffirms Faith After Loss

A New Jersey woman who lost her husband in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, says even in the midst of sorrow and spiritual darkness, God's promises and His Word hold true.

Jennifer and Jim Sands were married in May 1996. Five years later Jim found himself on a new job at the New York-based financial firm of Cantor Fitzgerald &#0151 on the 103rd floor of Tower One of the World Trade Center.

In her book A Tempered Faith: Rediscovering Hope in the Ashes of Loss, Jennifer Sands recalls the days following the murder of her husband and the other 9-11 victims. In that difficult time, the author struggled with doubts about her faith and God. But finally, Sands says, she realized that God is in control in the best and worst of times.

“He always answers our prayers, even though it didn't seem that way that morning. He answers them according to His will, which may or may not be our wishes,” she says.

But Sands says the idea that God had not answered her prayer that fateful morning bothered her for a long time. But after wrestling with anger, grief, and despair, she came to a place of understanding and acceptance.

“It finally hit me &#0151 God did answer my prayer that morning. I asked him to get Jim to work safely, and he did; and I asked him to bring Jim home safely, and He did that to &#0151 but to His home, not ours,” she says.

Nearly 2,800 people died in the attack on the World Trade Center. The remains of at least a thousand victims were never found. In many ways, Tempered Faith is the story of all the bereaved survivors of 9-11. Sands writes, “We all have made a journey, and we will continue on this journey forever. There will never be complete closure. There will never be an end to the grief. But the strength and passion of this country &#0151 and of the families who live on as ambassadors of the ones we loved &#0151 they will always endure.”

During her own difficult journey and since, the author says she saw how God works through people. She adds that she is still encouraged by the outpouring of support from friends and strangers.

“We have seen evil at its worst, but we've seen goodness at its best. And I believe that presence of mind &#0151 of everyone helping everyone else &#0151 is still there, two years later. It's still there,” Sands says.

(This article courtesy of Agape Press.)