We Are/Are Not Heroes, 3 of 3.

So, what constitutes a “Hero” of Faith? If you examine the heroes of faith in your life, what was it about them that qualified them as ‘hero’ material? What did they do, what did they say, how did they preach, how did they act, how did they affect your life forever afterwards? Would they fit in with the Hebrews 11 “Heroes of Faith” List?

Although I have no idea who your current heroes of faith may be, I would bet they all share the following traits:

1) They are all ordinary people who don’t worry about their legacy or reputation, they just see what needs to be done and they do it. They have learned how to live out the faith that we all share on a daily basis, thus doing the things which we are all supposed to be doing in the first place.

2) They truly understand what Paul is getting at when he claimed that “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”[1] Personal ego now takes a back seat to following the Savior and naturally serving others. I’ll even bet this involves a continual daily stream of prayer.

3) They remembered Christ’s urging to “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness,”[2] as well as “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”[3] All of our “Faith Heroes” care little for the glory that will be bestowed upon them in on this earth: All they care about is walking with Christ ---all that embarrassing ‘Faith-Hero’ talk just comes with the territory, I suppose.

Thus, if we wish to emulate our heroes of faith, I’d humbly suggest that we first drop the ego-tripping-worrying-about-our-faith-legacies-how-will-they-remember-us-when-we-are-gone type thinking (we all do it occasionally!) Then we should consider today, and what work needs to be done or who needs to be ministered to, today. Finally, we should even commit to memory and repeat daily the verses listed above. And that’s it. We will be doing the things which we are supposed to be doing in the first place. And I daresay that we all will grow to be ‘Heroes of Faith’ in other people’s minds, even though—heck, we know better: We are not heroes. We just point the way.
[1] Galatians 2.20, ESV.
[2] Matthew 6.33, ESV.
[3] Matthew 16.24, ESV.

We Are/Are Not Heroes, Part 2 of 3 (see below for previous)

What qualifies one as a “Hero” of Faith?

Let’s start with the definition of “Hero.” Upon hearing the word I immediately think of X-men comic books, Star Wars trilogies, and the Lord of the Rings. I think of Spiderman (my favorite when I was little), Superman, and Batman and Robin reruns (“Bif!” “Bang!” Pow!”). Heroes are as old as the Odyssey, as old as the Old Testament. Webster’s defines Hero as “any person, esp. a man, admired for courage, nobility, etc.” I find this definition severely lacking. I would humbly propose that a hero is “anyone who sees what needs to be done and does it, serving the greater good.” This certainly entails courage, nobility, and the unique gifts that heroes seem to possess. It certainly requires a unique selflessness and servant heart that few in this world possess. Let’s put it this way; Superman doesn’t have much of a personal life (despite what Lois Lane might say) – the bulk of his free time is spent saving Metropolis from clockwork impending doom!

This leads me to suggest that Heroes are basically those people that do the things which we are all supposed to be doing in the first place. Thus to be ‘heroic’ is to be called out as special for doing something that we should all be normally doing anyway – Therefore (as more than one nurse christened me) yes I am a hero for donating my bone marrow to some poor guy I don’t even know, quite possibly saving his life…and yet, no I am not a hero just because I simply followed through with a promise I made long ago. I was called to serve, so I served. Simple as that. So yes, I am a hero, and no, I am not.