Who are your heroes? Shortly after the war with Iraq started, people began to make the implication that the men and women who are serving in Iraq are heroes. That got me to thinking about; What is a hero?
Hero \ `hē-rō\ n, 1 a: a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability b: an illustrious warrior c: a man admired for his achievements and qualities d: one that shows great courage
According to my dictionary, these brave souls who have engaged the enemy in battle without running, or even hesitating, are indeed heroes. But who are your personal heroes, and why are they your heroes?
I have taken some long, hard looks at my life and I’m not sure I have any real heroes that I look up to (in the traditional sense). In today’s society, a hero is someone that people would want to emulate. I don’t know that I have anyone I really want to emulate in this life. This is not to say that I don’t know anyone that has some of the characteristics described above, but I don’t think I would want to emulate anyone that I know.
Perhaps the reason why is because as I look at all of my role models in life, I know that, at some point, they have failed me. Either they didn’t do something they said they would do, or they did something that I thought they would never do, and therefore, they let me down. What would drive me to emulate someone that has let me down? Again, I don’t want it to seem like everyone I know has let me down in every possible way, but people are human. That’s one of the things that we can not escape: the human factor. No matter what we do, no matter what we say, we will screw up at times. I wouldn’t want to emulate Billy Graham, because he too, will let me down from time to time.
Why do we try to look and act like people we look up to? I guess the question is; why do we look up to people? Is it the grass-is-always-greener syndrome? I think it’s because we see something that is missing in ourselves. We see people that we think have it all together, and we want what they have. What we fail to realize is that they have people that they emulate and they are trying to copy someone else. I suppose if you think about it, we are all trying to copy ourselves. It’s a vicious circle.
However, I think there are people who have been able to remove themselves from this cycle. People who have found Someone that is worth emulating. These are the people we need to follow. Who are they trying to become like? Simple: Christ.
I have learned in my few years on this earth, that the more we try to become like our favorite movie or TV star, the more we NEED to be something or someone of purpose. BUT, the more you strive to be like Christ, the happier you become (overall), because you no longer NEED to have a purpose, you already know what your role in life is: simply to live the life Christ has called us to, and be an example in faith, love and purity.
Once you have that down, everything else falls into place. I’m not saying your life will be nothing but happiness and roses for everyone you meet, but life’s hardships will be a HECK of a lot easier to handle. When you know that your purpose is unshakeable and irrefutable, there is very little that can truly bother you, because you know that no matter what happens, God will always be there and He will always take care of you.
Who are you trying to be like? God says “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). That tells me that no matter who you try to be like, they can’t assure you a place in heaven, no matter how good they are. Billy Graham and Mother Teresea will not get into heaven by the quality of their deeds. They will only get into heaven by their relationship with Jesus Christ. You cannot ride on the coat-tails of your mother, father, or great-great-great-grandfather on your sister’s-brother’s-uncle’s side. In order to reserve a place at God’s dinner table, you need to have a personal relationship with Christ.
Now to piss off half of the world: You can not get into heaven by praying to Mary the “Blessed Virgin” (Matt. 12:46, she had more children. She couldn’t still be a virgin). God is a jealous God and he states very clearly “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Ex. 20:3). This tells me that even though she brought Him into the world, we are NOT to put her above Jesus. There is only one true God and Jesus is our bridge across the chasm that is sin. God and sin cannot co-exist, such as light and dark can not exist in the same place. Jesus came to cleanse our sins, not Mary. Jesus would rather we talk to Him, than have his “mother” talk to Him for us. I know, I personally hate it when someone asks my mom to talk to me about something. Imagine how Jesus feels…
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” (John 14:12). This is what I aspire to. Jesus is my Hero, and He told me that I could do greater things than He did. That is the truly awesome thing. I know that I can do the things He did and even do bigger things than He did. It’s not just that I want to be like Him, but He’s given me the power and the strength to be like Him. The Bible is Gods word, and it will not return void unto Him, so I will take Him at His word (no pun intended) and like my life striving to be more like Him, everyday…