Tuesday marked the 11th anniversary of one of the darkest days in our nation’s history.

On Sept. 11, 2001, Muslim extremists piloted planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and in the process shrouded the United States in fear.

Following the attack, a USA Today/Gallup Poll showed that three in five Americans were worried that they or someone in their families would become the victim of a terrorist act. That’s understandable given the fact that nearly 3,000 people died during the attack.

Eleven years later a lot has changed.

Many of us no longer worry about a terrorism attack taking place on American soil.

In fact, most of us probably rarely give a thought to that terrible day unless we are traveling through the airport and have to take our shoes, belt and coats off as we’re screened by TSA officials before boarding a plane.

Some would call that progress. As a nation, we’re getting on with our lives.

We disagree.

In the weeks and months after the attack, there were bumper stickers stuck on anything that moved that read “Never Forget.” American flags flew everywhere. Patriotism was rampant. Our churches were full of people seeking God’s grace and mercy.

Eleven years later a lot has changed. In many ways, we have forgotten.

Our hope is that in these days following the anniversary of the attack, we will remember. We hope that in the coming days, the folks in our community will pause and remember those 3,000 men and women who had their lives taken from them that day. We hope that the folks in our community will pause and remember the families, many just like ours, that lost a family member either in the attack or the subsequent war on terror. We hope that in the coming days, the folks in our community will pause and remember the firefighters, the police officers and the soldiers that lost their lives. We hope that our community will remember to pray.

By reminding ourselves of this tragic event that forever changed our country, we will remember that our nation’s freedom comes at a high price.

And that is something we should never forget.