We idolize a lot of people these days. I even saw a news
report recently that claimed that young girls have something in their brains
(that boys do not have) that make them go wild over young rock stars or movie
star boys, Crazy! But, it’s not just young girls who do this. We all make more
of these kinds of folks than we should, don’t we? After all, they are just
people like the rest of us.
This morning I started thinking about who the REAL heroes
are in this world. So many people came to mind. Funny though, it was NOT the
billion dollar rock stars with the million dollar cars, the million dollar
athletes or even certain government officials that came to mind when I thought
about who the genuine life changing heroes are.
These are the people who came to mind…
It’s the single mom who works her fingers to the bones and
still cannot make her mortgage payment but still makes sure her precious kids
make it to church on Sundays and makes sure that somehow they have enough food
to eat every day, even if it means she might not have enough to eat herself.
It’s the women and men who battle the horrible disease of
cancer and still keep giving and serving others even in the midst of their own
difficult circumstances.
It’s the faithful pastors who pour over God’s Word all week
long in order to bring us incredible messages each week. They just keep on
doing what they were called to do even if it means criticism or even great
persecution for some. Praise God for them!
It is the brave men and women who put their lives in great
danger both here in our own country and in far off places, so that we can
experience the freedoms that so often take for granted.
It is our strong spouses who work hard every day both
physically and mentally, to provide for their families, even though some days,
it is hard to get out of bed.
It is the college student who is struggling to finish school
so that some day they too can serve the Lord, provide for their families and
make a difference in the world.
It is the person who wakes up every day in physical pain,
but who keeps on serving with little complaining, pressing on through the pain
even though some days, it is hard to open a milk jug or to even get out of bed
and walk.
It is the one whose spouse has betrayed her, yet she chooses
to stay in the marriage offering grace and forgiveness, doing all she can to
hang on even when the pain is so deep she cannot express it.
It is the widow who comes home to an empty house every day
who has no one to hug her or ask how her day has been, yet she holds on and
does her best to quietly survive without her beloved.
It is the young couple who longs for a precious baby of
their own, but they wait and wait and wait.
It is the person who faces physical abuse and does not know
how to get out of it.
It is the child who is bullied at school.
It is the teacher who walks into a very difficult school setting
every day and does all she can to teach the precious children even though they
may not have had a bed to sleep in the night before or food for many days. She
prays for them. She feeds them as best as she can. She loves them.
It is the precious friends who believe in you, who see your weaknesses but who love you anyway, who encourage you, who push you out of your box, make you climb tress, help grow your strengths, and overcome your weaknesses, who pray with you, cry with you, celebrate with you, and love you no matter what.
It is SO many other brave souls who wake up each day to a
new challenge or the same old challenge, but who face their challenges head on with
the strength of the Lord.
You know who you are and He knows who you are, even if no
one else knows.
And finally, the ultimate Hero is the One who took on our
sin, who was nailed to a tree, who was spat upon, who was beaten and killed so
that anyone who would believe in Him could receive forgiveness of sins and gain
eternal life with Him...Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
I am so grateful for all of the quiet heroes who keep moving
forward, who have influenced my life in so many ways, and especially for the
One who saved me. He is my Ultimate Hero. Praise Him!
God bless you today with the strength to carry on in His
name no matter how hard it may seem. There is so much more than today. Hold on.
You are not alone. He is with you. Call out His name. He will hear and He will
answer. He will not leave you or forsake you. He will go before you. May He
give you all you need to today to press on toward the reward that only He can
offer.
