You’re my Hero

Where have all the heroes gone?

I remember that as a child, I had many heroes. On television I would sit for hours watching Tarzan, Batman & Robin, Superman and many others who fought for the cause of good. I remember in the world of sports, names like Jim Thorpe, Gehrig and Ruth, Seevers, Mantle, Staubach, Unitas, Starr, Lombardi, Dale Earnhardt - how they all stirred-up dreams of succeeding and becoming something bigger than life.

Then I grew up.

In the world we now live in, the heroes of my youth have all been stripped of their dignity and the magic torn away from my childhood. Babe Ruth was an Alcoholic, Batman and Robin isn’t real...etc.

I even remember as a child thinking my own father as a huge man, powerful and strong. Yet his addictions his weakness, his imperfection, is what I remember most now. He died in 1996 of a massive Heart Attack and severe stroke.

Where have all the heroes gone?

Can they be found in Bart Simpson, in Beavis and Butthead, in Al Bundy, Howard Stern, Dennis Rodman or RuPaul? Not to mention the President of the United States?

In Hebrews 11 the definition for faith is, “Assurance of things hoped for and evidence of things unseen.” The rest of chapter 11 lists examples of faith in those Godly men and women who were known for their belief in God - People like Abel, Enoch, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and Rahab the harlot.

Though all were imperfect, and they all lived at various times in uncommon situations, they all set their feet upon the same track. I challenge every one of us to take to the track and strive to become a hero for the next generation to follow. How?

Have you ever tried to run a marathon while carrying a couple of bowling balls? Silly, isn’t it? You have a much better chance of winning if you cast off the extra weight. Often as Christians, we continue to carry the burden of sin when we don’t have to. Rid yourself of sin.

Peter walked on water until he took his eyes off of Jesus - He lost his focus.

Jesus is our coach and guide - it is Jesus who shows us how to run the race. Ephesians 5:1-2 “Therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children, and walk in love just as Christ also loved you, and gave himself up for us." Real heroes fix their eyes on Jesus.

So many begin the race, but so few Heroes complete it! Remember this - Nothings matters if you do not finish! I desperately desire to be a hero to my son, Logan, but I cannot be the hero he needs without finishing the race God has set before me.

Where have all the heroes gone?

Our heroes are still here striving to finish the race, I’ve seen;

A seventy-nine year old man who has dedicated his life to loving God and loving people more than anyone I’ve ever seen;

A struggling young single mother, trying desperately to instill her belief in God in her children;

An elderly lady on a fixed income who mails out at least 200 cards a month to others to encourage them;

A Crippled man who aches with physical pains daily who constantly puts others before himself;

These are just few of my heroes• Just look around, think about others in this heroic sense – you’ll find many heroes of the faith in your Church, all striving to follow the one - Christ - to the end.

If you love Jesus with all your heart, soul and mind… we are heroes!

Hebrew 12:3, 4 "Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not resisted to the point of shedding your blood."

Jesus, our hero, shed his blood! And he did it for us!

Allow him to be your hero for now and eternity.