If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. (Psalm 66:18)

Today is a mad jump from the historical Jesse James articles to quoting scripture. The week calls for it.

Because of what happened on Sept. 11, 2001, this week always affects Americans, as well as others around the world. We feel it in our hearts and souls. The sorrow that day brought to our country and to the loved ones of those who perished in the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Penn., arises each week of 9/11 and captures every one of us.

TV stations are filled with running footage over and over again, stories about the rescues, the clean-up, the rebuilding abound. This year, we caught a story we hadn't seen before, one on Rick Rescoria, the head of security for Morgan Stanley, the investment company. He was the man who saw 9/11 coming many years before it actually occurred.

How? Because he had served in the military and seen the destruction from the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. He spent years training the employees of Morgan Stanley on how to evacuate the building and like the captain of a sinking ship, he went down with the towers when they fell to the ground – trying to help others get out of the building.

That biography touched us as do all the programs we watch every year reminding us never forget the heinous acts of 9/11. The story of Rescoria's heroic efforts (as there were also many more that terrible day) is one that inspires hope in everyone who hears it. For despite the attempts of terrorists to bring down America, they failed. Sure, they killed thousands, devastating many more in the families and loved ones who lost someone in the attacks, but so much good has come out of those heinous acts.

Here, 12 years later people were remembering the hero Rick Rescoria instead of focusing on the terrorists.

This week also brings my birthday several days before 9/11 and my wedding anniversary several days after, certainly joyous occasions, along with some events in my life that were traumatic during this particular week. So, the week is always a reminder to me of the fragility of life – birth and death – and the fragility of our souls.

It is so very easy to be hurt by someone else.

As this very week progressed, it seemed as if the memories in the hearts of the world attracted not the joy for that which we still have and joy in the memories we hold deep, but the injustice and unfairness of day-to-day life – not just 9/11.

People drove a little worse than normal this week. They seemed to be sleeping less, so tiredness and crankiness fills the eyes of so many. Others got sick this week, their immune systems taking on the memories of what this week means to them.

Along with the history of this week comes the current problems with Syria, the healthcare crisis, unemployment, the economy and other pressing national problems. They've affected everyone and each one of us has an opinion and most obviously think their opinion is the right one.

Meanwhile, social media such as Facebook has become fodder for those who want to spew hatred, discontent and malevolence at others – most of whom they do not even know, except through a Facebook page they've somehow both ended up on.

Having been born in one state and enjoyed a number of years visiting that hometown and then spending the bulk of my school and early college years at another town, I joined both Facebook pages for those hometowns.

At first I completely enjoyed the memories ... the stores and malls of 30-40 years ago, fellow high school students my age and older – now grandparents – reflecting on their memories. Indeed it was cathartic in many ways.

One site allowed me to post my blog on it's page when I spent several weeks reflecting on the historical aspects of that area and my memories tied to the town and I made some delightful new friends and had very old questions answered that had always bugged my imagination station.

But then the nightcrawlers came out. Those are the people who live inside the pages of Facebook and only come out to wreak havoc on those innocent people who find joy in life. They are like the dark, laughing figures of bodachs or the mystical boogeyman of our childhoods – come into our adulthood to bully and chastise.

Nightcrawlers are like false prophets – like the enemy God-fearing people know about – and they enjoy attacking. They come onto the pages, infiltrating the threads of posts that began innocently – "Oh, does anyone remember such and such a place," or "I have trouble digesting certain foods, does anyone recommend something to help?" or they just plain take a thread and turn it completely around to a totally different subject in which they can ridicule, harass, and belittle a person for no apparent reason.

There is a reason however, it's because they enjoy it. They feel powerful and get a surge of pridefulness when they succeed in upsetting someone. In one word ... a bully.

This happened to me several weeks ago in which I was attacked by two of the men who had taken a serious post about Syria, who didn't originate the post, and turned it into a place where they could tout their high religious scholarly pursuits.

I don't begrudge anyone being a scholar, especially of the Bible. I've read it several times, but being a biblical scholar is not my gift in this life. It is someone else's gift. Nevertheless, we all have gifts from God. We're not all Mother Teresa. We all have different purposes and all are equally important to one another.

Was I impressed by the alleged scholars? No. Did they intimidate? No. My Lord has placed the armor on me and protects me from such attacks and gives me the simple words in which to do battle. I can spot a false prophet from a mile away.

Did they irritate me? You bet they did. But I was taught to pray for my enemies and thus I did. Therein lies the title to this blog. You cannot hold the unfair acts, the unpleasantness directed at you and turn around and pray for God to answer your prayers. You must pray for your enemy and seek the Lord's word.

With so many attacks on us throughout each day of the year – many more prominent as the years progress and the world becomes a much colder, unhappy place to be – so much anger expressed – we must focus on those who are lost. The sheep are lost and wandering and we must pray for them. Seek them out and pray for them.

This year has been particularly difficult for me with the death of my beloved sister, having to quit a job I loved because of an abusive boss, the death of an old friend whom I had been praying for a long time would heal, some health issues, and a car accident that injured me physically. With all of this has been personal attacks by two family members whom I have loved for a long time.

But my shield is strong and I have had to learn not to "cherish the iniquity in my heart," or the Lord will not listen to my prayers. "Create in me a clean heart O Lord." (Psalm 51:10)

It's not just me. Look around you. There are hundreds, if not thousands suffering the same. I'm not the only one who lost a loved one this year, who quit or lost a great job, who is being attacked in social media or personally by someone enjoying the act of being a bully. Nor, as I laughingly tease myself, am I the only one ever in a car accident – even though I felt quite sorry for myself for the first couple of weeks.

The old saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me," is not true. It's an old wives tale. Words do hurt. They pulverize and beat you down.

The anonymity of social media, text messages and e-mail makes it seem safe for people to bully you, but no matter how safe one feels delivering the seemingly invisible blows to someone else, they will someday face a stronger judgment than they could ever imagine.

God knows our hearts. No matter what we say with our lips, He knows our hearts and therein lies the truth.

"But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5:44)

They are the sheep who have run astray.