Teaching the Children: Patriot Day (9/11)
What began as an ordinary Tuesday in September 2001 quickly turned to chaos within two hours. Even as planes fell and towers crumbled, courage and faith began to rise. Ask anyone old enough to remember, and they can easily recall where they were, what they were doing, and how they felt.
It was my senior year of college. I left my on-campus apartment at Lubbock Christian University. The walk to the student union building was eerily quiet and void of people. I went in to check my mail and had to maneuver around a crowd watching the TV in the corner. I asked a friend what was happening. She said the Twin Towers had been bombed (because those were the early reports). We left the student union building for chapel, held at 9:40 AM every day. The big screens that usually showed the songs were tuned into the coverage. We watched in stunned silence as our world changed.
Four hijacked planes, nearly 3,000 lives lost, and countless families forever altered. Smoke and fire rose from the Twin Towers in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and a quiet field in Pennsylvania where passengers fought back with courage.
Now, we pause to remember Patriot Day. Remembrance is part of healing, honoring, and teaching future leaders. As a homeschool family, we do not skip over the hard parts of history. Just as we teach our children about Independence Day, Memorial Day, and MLK, Jr Day, we also pause on September 11 to teach them about courage, sacrifice, and faith in the face of tragedy.
The Reality of Evil
Evil is real. The Bible does not hide this truth. Jesus said: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10, ESV). That morning, evil struck with devastating clarity. Hatred fueled destruction, and innocent lives were taken in an instant.
Scripture also reminds us that the true battle is “not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm” (Ephesians 6:12–13, ESV).
Our enemy is not a nation, ethnicity, or political rival. Our battle is against the spiritual forces of darkness. This changes the way we remember, the way we grieve, and the way we prepare our children to live with faith in a broken world.
The Courage of Many
In the ashes of destruction, courage rose like a phoenix. Firefighters climbed stairwells while others fled downward. Police officers ran toward danger when instinct said to run away. Ordinary citizens carried strangers to safety or held the hands of the injured.
On Flight 93, passengers realized their plane had been hijacked and was headed toward another target in Washington, D.C.—likely the U.S. Capitol or the White House. Knowing the fate that awaited them, they made phone calls to their families, said their goodbyes, and prayed. One passenger, Todd Beamer, spoke with an operator, recited the Lord’s Prayer, and then, with determination, said the words that still echo through history: “Let’s roll.”
They stormed the cockpit, preventing the terrorists from reaching their target. Their plane went down in a Pennsylvania field, but their sacrifice saved countless lives. Jesus said: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13, ESV). Their courage reminds us that boldness is not reckless—it is love in action.
The Call to Remember
Every year, we remember the stillness that followed that morning’s chaos. Some years, the day seems just as ordinary as the first day. This year, we started the day recovering from a new grief and shock in the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Our family chooses to remember to shape a better future. “We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done” (Psalm 78:4, ESV).
Remembering loss, sacrifice, and resilience equips the next generation to live with wisdom and gratitude. Forgetting leads to complacency. Remembering builds resolve.
The Responsibility of Freedom
Freedom is fragile. It is not guaranteed. It must be guarded, protected, and stewarded. In our home, we remind our children that freedom is a gift from God. It is best honored not through selfish indulgence but through faithful service. “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13, ESV).
True freedom calls us to responsibility. It calls us to love God, to serve our neighbor, and to live as people of truth and integrity. Such freedom must be cherished, remembered, and lived out with faith and courage.
Never Forget – Let’s Roll
Patriot Day strengthens our resolve. We teach our children to “never forget,” not only the tragedy, but also the lessons: that evil is real, that courage matters, and that freedom is precious.
And above all, we teach them that our hope is not in governments, armies, or even in human resilience, but in the God who redeems, restores, and promises eternal life in Christ. “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37, ESV).
The passengers of Flight 93 showed us that courage can rise even in the darkest moments. Their words echo as a challenge for us today—not to live in fear, but to rise in faith. To serve others. To speak truth. To live boldly for Christ.