Most of us remember precisely what we were doing 20 years ago on Sept. 11. It was a day that awoke a sleeping giant.

Our family was living in Hungary, where we had lived for almost a decade. The kids were at school, and my wife and I were working in the house when the phone rang. I answered to have a Hungarian friend say, “Uncle Ed! Are you watching the news?” “No, why?” “Quick, go turn on CNN! Something horrible is happening in America!” She hung up, and I rushed to turn the TV on. As I turned onto CNN, I watched the live feed of a hole in the side of one of the World Trade Center towers, and then a fireman looking up as a large passenger plane went overhead and crashed into the side of the same building.” My wife had come in, and we both watched in shock, as America was under attack.

We began to get phone call after phone call from Hungarian friends extending their sadness and friendship for us. Some of them extended prayers. The State Department issued a “stay in place and keep a low profile” warning to Americans. They wanted us to not reveal to others that we were Americans, lest we become targets of terrorists in our locations. But I took our American flag and flew it at half-mast on the basketball pole in our yard. I stood in solidarity with my country. I felt helpless, half a world away, and unable to help.

We went back in the house and prayed for our country, the president and national leaders, and our military troops, our fellow citizens, and those who lost loved ones. We watched in horror as people jumped out of windows to escape the flames and plummeted to their deaths. We later watched President George W. Bush stand on top a pile of rubble to address the rescue workers and Americans. He was trying to shout above the noise. Someone handed him a portable megaphone, over which he said: “Can you hear me now?” Yes, Yes! “Good! I want everyone to know that the people who took down these buildings will be hearing from all of us real soon!”

In Proverbs 1:32-33 (NIV) we read: “For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.” Wisdom is found by those who are committed to following God, living with God, learning from God, and putting what they learn into action for God. Today, I wish to list a few things I learned from the September 11, 2001 attack upon us.

— Leaders, and indeed all of us, reveal their true character when under extreme pressure. Mild, quiet G.W. Bush rose up as a fearless, confident leader, who led us rise up and take the fight to those who attacked us.

— Good leaders are proactive. Rather than hunkering down, or retreating back into the safety of our country, America took the fight to the terrorists. That proactive thinking kept us safe for 20 years.

— America is a soft target whenever we are complacent and fighting against one another. But when we get attacked, we need to come together, put our petty differences aside and unite in our love for our country.

— America has some of the finest people in the world, and many of the most committed of our people join our armed services to keep us safe and free. They lay down their lives for our benefit. They pay any cost to defend our Constitution and freedom. I thank God for each one of them, for their families, and their sacrifices.

— America is still a great country, regardless of our mistakes. People who wish to trash our country need to step back and consider what the world would be like without America. Who stopped the Nazis from conquering the world? America. European countries were being swept away by storm troopers, until America joined on Europe’s side. The USSR was gobbling up the world with their socialistic communism. Who stepped up to stop them? America. When there is a natural disaster, anywhere in the world, who steps in to help with food and supplies? America. We are not perfect, and we are far less godly than we used to be, but we still are the best hope for contributing to a better life in the world.

— We should thank God every day for allowing us to be Americans, and to have been so blessed by God. America has only been great because we embraced God and His values. As we move further away from God, our way will become less blessed, and more and more difficult. Do your part by turning your life, and family, towards God. He is our future. Apart from Him we can do nothing.

Award-winning columnist Dr. Ed Jordan is pastor of Gwynn’s Island Baptist Church in Gwynn, Virginia. He can be reached at szent.edward@gmail.com.