Blog
As a young child growing up in Texas in the 70s and 80s my superheroes were Batman, Wonder Woman, Six Million Dollar Man, Bionic Woman, and of course, everyday heroes like those we watched weekly on Chips, Adam 12, and Charlie’s Angels. Other superheroes included police officers, firemen, and detectives. Why were they heroes?
Simply because they were there to protect and serve. They wanted the best for others. They used their super powers or sleuth powers to make the world a better place.
Over the past few decades I’ve seen heroes morph into anything but heroic figures. They seem to have become proud, arrogant and boastful, as if they deserve to “be served” instead of doing the serving. They have more of the mental mindset of the wrestlers we watched back in the day than the heroes.
As a church, we have to be careful we don’t set up our heroes on pedestals. Paul wasn’t asking to be placed on a pedestal but rather under a microscope. He desired others to hold him accountable. Accountability – there’s a neglected word these days – is considered judgmental or intolerant, but to be heroic, we must be willing to allow others to hold us accountable.
A coward says, “You do you and I’ll do me,” but a hero points people to Christ.
A coward will point others to himself and his desires, and a true hero will take the focus from self and point to Jesus.
A coward will take truths and twist them to make them fit his agenda, and a hero will take God’s Word as just that: God’s. Word.
A coward will state, “It’s my right”, whereas a hero knows only God has “the right”.
Do heroes even still exist? Oh yes! They’re still out there. As Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers Neighborhood) would say, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
If there ever was a time that watching the news is scary, it’s now . . . but look for the helpers. The heroes. They’re still around. They’re still serving with humility, setting an example in their character, being real and transparent in their successes and failures, keeping their outlook positive and joyful, going about day-to-day living with intentional acts of kindness, and above all, a true heroic person is keeping a Christ-focused heart and mind that leads others to Jesus. Now there’s a HERO!
Go live H.E.R.O.I.C. today!
Humility
Example
Real
Outlook
Intentional
Christ-focused
“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1
Copyright © 2022 by Tonya Aultman @Lifeword.org. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from Lifeword.org