Heroes

he·ro

  a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.


The theme this year at school is "Heroes for the Kingdom" and as I was preparing a devotion for the teachers on their first day back, I researched various people who would be considered Christian "heroes," most of them I found in a book called "50 People Every Christian Should Know." I soon began to realize that not one of the people I was reading about would have described themselves using any of the definition stated above. In fact, most would have used words portraying quite the opposite. 


I did however find some common characteristics. Such as:

Mother Teresa

• willing to listen to God's calling on their lives
• willing to make sacrifices (some even the supreme sacrifice of their life)
• not afraid to speak the truth and willing to suffer the consequences when opposed
• willing to make major changes in their lives when convicted by God
• made the study of God's word a priority
• placed a great importance on relationships with others

What struck me though was how seemingly "ordinary" all of these people started out. Some were rich and some were poor but none seemed to be born into greatness. The reason their names are even linked to being "heroes for the kingdom" is because of conscious choices they made throughout their lives. Everyone of them came to a crossroads at some point in their life where the decision had to made, obey God's calling or ignore it.


Looking back on my own life, I can identify my own crossroads. Some I chose wisely and some I did not. Do I consider myself a hero? Certainly not but then neither did any of the spiritual giants I read about. What I have come to realize is that we ALL have opportunities to be a hero. To a young mother who is struggling, to a teenager who is searching for an identity, to a small child who needs someone to care, to the elderly who need to be honored and not forgotten. 


Here's the bottom line--all heroes really do is pay attention to opportunities and situations that God places in their paths and then (and this is the most important part), do something about it! Sounds simple enough, huh? I wonder...in a hundred years, will anyone want to put MY bio in a book of people Christians should know?