Recently, I asked my Facebook friends what I should write about. One of them responded “Who is your hero and why?” That is a tall order and right now, I’m going to try to deliver it!
Now to provide some background to this list, it’s important for you to know that I always cheer for the underdog. I don’t really become star struck unless I’m faced with the Pope or a real member of the Von Trapp family. Small accomplishments seem to me as big as climbing a mountain. My heroes are everyday people. I want to be just like them when I grow up!
1. The bridge builders:
These are the people who have given their lives to building bridges through their relationships and actions versus causing division. I have a tremendous amount of respect for these people because they absolutely love outside of themselves. They meet people in their own realities and don’t try to impose, but simply love. They care more about how you treat people than what your political affiliation is. They are more interested in finding the common ground because they know that love knows no boundaries. This heroism is simple and admirable. This is the kind of hero I want to be!
2. The world travelers:
These are the people who have literally looked at this world and said “I must know you!” As a woman, the deepest hurt I have experienced was from the rejection of not being known. I want to be known. Therefore, I consider the action of knowing someone or something to be incredibly loving! Have you ever gone into another culture, met people, and seen them be completely in awe of the fact that you want to know their culture, their lives,their ways? World travelers see the world with truly open eyes. They see, know, and understand beauty, love, grace, and relationship in every language, color and creed. Every discovery of something new and every different perspective helps to flesh out the truth of humanity. They bring that truth to wherever they travel and they become a hero to someone else…including me.
3. The reckless lovers:
These people are the ones who give their hearts away with reckless abandon. They know the risk. They know they will get hurt, but they also know that it’s worth it to love. They love every person they meet whether it’s their great grandmother or a woman they just passed by on the street. I once observed one of my friends walk up to a woman at a festival just to tell her she was beautiful and looked gorgeous in her dress. People who get married also fall under this category. They enter a world of uncertainty. In fact, the only certain things appear to be that they will know joy and they will know heartbreak. It’s the elderly couple I see at the hospital where one is saying goodbye to the other…for the last time. That, to me, is heroic.
4. The silent sufferers:
These are the people who suffer in silence from the person who sits alone in their depressed state to the person who is enslaved to their addiction. God’s grace is in every moment for these souls and in every moment there is the hope that they can rise above the adversity. These are also the people whom adversity has been inflicted upon by the violence ofthis world. They are the victims of murder, burglary, rape, the sex slave trade, and any other injustice. They have given their best to seek out justice and continue living their lives putting one foot in front of the other. Perhaps they went to fight for freedom and no one welcomed them home. They are especially, my heroes.
5. The Do-gooders:
These are the people who are always there to lend a helping hand. They are the first to volunteer their time, money, or talent. They are the last to go home. They will cross miles of land or water to sleep on a dirt floor just to show up in someone's village to say "I love you". They work tirelessly in agencies and institutions around the world to help people who are down and out. They are often overlooked, overworked, and underpaid. They are also under appreciated. They are my heroes for doing the job that no one else wanted to do, for helping the people that no one else wanted to help. Even though they might get trampled on by the ones they are helping, they do it because they know that it is right.
Of course, Jesus is my ultimate hero. He associated with all kinds of sinners. He healed the sick and wounded. He was known to cast out demons. He is the divine counselor and I can’t think of any other time when a man loved me recklessly enough to willingly die on across for me and give me salvation. He is my ultimate hero, followed by my dad, who is awesome.
The truth is we are all called to be heroes for those around us. God has given us all the time, money, and talent to be a hero. We simply need to rely on His grace to get us there. So I would like to thank each and every one of you for being my hero and showing me how it's done! I would like to challenge you to go out there and live your life as if you are someone else's hero! This world desperately needs YOU!!!!
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