Katie Britt, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, spoke with Huntsville radio host Michael Yaffee on Thursday about her faith, her family and what has driven her to run for public office.

Britt recounted to the host of WVNN’s “The Yaffee Program” the powerful story of her family’s survival during the Tuscaloosa tornado and the aftermath that led to a milestone in her walk as a Christian.

Much of what happened on that day in April 2011 has helped grow her faith and inspired her decision to seek public office.

“[R]ealizing that sometimes as adults, we lose that faith – we think of it abstractly,” she explained. “Have the faith of a child. God is actually with you. He will walk with you.”

She continued, “We know what is at stake for our country. We know what is at stake for our state. And we know our children are worth fighting for. God calls you to do hard things. And this is a hard thing. But it’s worth it, and we are ready for the fight. And I know that I am the right person for the job at the right time to do the right thing for our state and our nation.”

She later talked about growing up in the Wiregrass, and how she worked her way to her present position as a candidate, with stints as special assistant to the president of the University of Alabama, practicing law in the state, serving as chief of staff to U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) and most recently as a champion of jobs, small businesses and rural Alabama as president and CEO of the Business Council of Alabama.

Britt then emphasized that trials in life are what ultimately lead to spiritual growth.

“I think people so quickly, they read a resume … [but] a resume is the high points in your life,” she explained. “What really defines you are the valleys. What really defines you is getting knocked down and figuring out how in the world to pick yourself back up. What really defines you are the character and the values that are instilled in you at a young age, and I am blessed that while I may not have come from the ‘right’ zip code and my parents may not have had fancy jobs, I had the parents and grandparents and family that said the thing most important in life is Christ. Jesus Christ is the most important thing in life, and that should be the foundation that everything else comes around. Then your family. And freedom. And your work ethic.”

Britt continued, “I’ll never forget my grandfather telling me … ‘Don’t ever let anyone intimidate you because you’re from Enterprise, Alabama.’ He said, ‘You keep your head down and you work hard.’ That’s what he said. He said, ‘It doesn’t matter how much money you have in the bank, it doesn’t matter your zip code. What matters is your work ethic, your character, and your integrity.’ And Yaffee, that is what I have carried with me my entire life. And making sure that when you hit those valleys, Yaffee, you get back up and you go figure out how to actually get things done. I think that’s what people are seeing on the campaign trail. They’re seeing someone that doesn’t just talk about all the problems that we have in the world – which, by the way, we could stay on your whole show and we could take up all of the time talking about [those] issues. They want someone who not only is passionate about those and is going to fight for them, but (also) is actually going to create solutions and make their lives better. And that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

RELATED: 5 questions with Katie Britt — Immigration, court packing, rural Alabama and more

Tim Howe is an owner of Yellowhammer Multimedia