My 9/11 story and my calling as a mom are deeply intertwined. Twenty-five years ago, I was nine months pregnant with our first child. September 11, 2001, was supposed to be my last day at work before maternity leave, so I went into the office early to finish up a few projects. I was at my office at the St. Joseph School Endowment in Conway, AR when I first heard the news. I still remember the moment my sister called to tell me that a plane had struck the World Trade Center. We stayed on the phone together, and while we were talking, the second plane struck the South Tower. We knew then that America was under attack—and that our lives would never be the same. Later that day, I remember thinking, “What kind of world are we bringing our child into?”

It’s a complicated world, to be sure. But it is also a world filled with beauty, faith, love, courage and hope.

More recently, I came across these words from Alex Cravens, Youth Pastor at Butterfield Church in Russellville. They have stayed with me ever since, and I believe they say beautifully what I have come to understand about motherhood:

“Don’t feel sorry for or fear for your kids because the world they are going to grow up in is not what it used to be. God created them and called them for the exact moment in time that they’re in. Their life wasn’t a coincidence or an accident. Raise them up to know the power they walk in as children of God. Train them up in the authority of His Word. Teach them to walk in faith knowing that God is in control. Empower them to know they can change the world. Don’t teach them to be fearful and disheartened by the state of the world, but hopeful that they can do something about it. Every person in all of history has been placed in the time that they were in because of God’s sovereign plan. He knew Daniel could handle the lion’s den. He knew David could handle Goliath. He knew Esther could handle Haman. He knew Peter could handle persecution. He knows that your child can handle whatever challenge they face in their life. He created them specifically for it! Don’t be scared for your children, but be honored that God chose you to parent the generation that is facing the biggest challenges of our lifetime. Rise up to the challenge. Raise Daniels, Davids, Esthers and Peters! God isn’t scratching His head wondering what He’s going to do with this mess of a world. He has an army He’s raising up to drive back the darkness and make Him known all over the earth. Don’t let your fear steal the greatness God placed in them. I know it’s hard to imagine them as anything besides our sweet little babies, and we just want to protect them from anything that could ever be hard on them. But they were born for such a time as this.”

Twenty-five years ago, I wondered what kind of world I was bringing my child into. Today, I have come to realize the better question was: What kind of people was God calling us to raise for this world? My husband and I have been blessed with two sons and each have been a gift from God, and each has been uniquely created and called for such a time as this. Every September 11, I remember not only what our country lost, but also the responsibility—and the privilege—of raising children who are willing to meet a broken world with faith, courage and love.