Every generation is marked by moments that are so impacting that people ever after remember exactly where they were when the moment occurred.

For some it was Neil Armstrong’s epic walk on the moon.

For others it was the assassination of JFK.

I remember, at fifteen years old, hearing President Reagan say, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

Ten years later Jessica and I were walking through a hospital lobby with our tragically ill daughter when we learned that Princess Diana had died in a car crash.

And on September 11, 2001 I was en route to a previously scheduled pastors’ prayer gathering in Colorado Springs, CO when I heard that hijacked planes had struck the Twin Towers in New York City.

Where were you on 9/11?

Where were you during the horrifying aftermath of the attacks? Do you remember where you were when you first saw the picture of the firefighters raising the US flag amid the rubble, and when the stories of unselfish heroism began pouring in?

We’ve lived through some incredible times. History is happening all around us. And if we are wise, we will remember that we have a role to play in its formation, however lofty or trivial that role may seem.

You are not an insignificant cog in the wheels of human history. You matter. And the way you live your today can serve a greater purpose.

Perhaps in years hence we’ll look back at today as the moment we upped our game and went all in our service to God, our loved ones, and our world.

Perhaps today could be historical.