It seems a lot of times when I am working on a piece to post, I go to church on Sunday and the Pastor talks on a subject very close to the subject I am working on. It happened again today. I was working on a piece listing heroes in my life, and when I got to church this morning Gordon McDonald was preaching on a hero of his. He started the sermon with the fact that when he is getting to know someone one of the questions he invariably asks is "Who are your heroes?" He says he can get a lot of insight out of how a person answers this, and I agree with him. I have been amazed for years by several people who have become heroes in my life, some more recently than others. I would like to take the opportunity to list them today.
Jesus Christ for some obvious reasons. When I state someone is my hero I am saying I would like to be like that person, or there is something in that persons life that I deeply admire and would like to emulate. well in the case of Jesus, I strive to be more Christ like in my life. I strive to treat people fairly and the same regardless of their station in life. I strive to be happy with what God has bestowed upon me. I try not to be bitter when bad things happen to me. I strive, but because I am an imperfect person I know I can not ever gain that lofty goal, but I know that God loves me anyway.
The second hero in my life is the Apostle Paul. He makes the list because when confronted by the reality of God, he did not take the easy way out. He left his life of privilege and became an outcast to most of mainstream society of his time. He strove to do what was right and just. He supported his fellow Christians and helped them grow in their walk with God.
Third on my list is Ronald Reagan, again because he strove to do what was right even when unpopular. He brought some pride back to both the country and the military, both of which had been devastated after a long protracted war in Vietnam. When I joined the Navy in the early 80's it was still a negative connotation to be in the service, but when I got out the attitude had come about 180 degrees. He helped the country back on a path of prosperity and growth. he lived by his convictions.
Fourth on my list is more a group of people than a single individual, it is the likes of Milton Olive III, Jack Lucas, and every other person to ever receive the bauble we call the Congressional Medal of Honor. These are men who gave their all to save the lives of their fellow soldiers, sailors, marines or airmen. They gave no thought to their own safety, and I can never help but wonder if I were in the same position coul I bring myself to do what they did, for no man has a greater gift to give than his own life.
Fifth on my list would be William Bartosiewitz my paternal grandfather ( name has changed several times) I never really got to know the man except through stories my father and grandmother had told me, but he was a self made man who worked hard to get where he did in life. The stories about him have inspired me in work, and my personal life. Those stories taught me the importance of voting, and hard work.
And after today's sermon I have added a sixth to my list in the person of Barnabas as told about in the Book of Acts. He personified courage and was an encourager, he worked hard at being generous to a fault, and encouraging people on their walk with Christ. I try to be the uplifting person who helps people to see the bright side instead of dragging them down all the time. I try to be generous to a fault. As Gordon talked you realize that there is two prefixes that you can add to courage with two totally different results, En/courager, the person everyone is glad to see, and the DIS/courager, the person every one is glad to see....leave. The encourager builds up and supports, while the discourager tears down and demoralizes.
Those are the heroes in my life, the people I strive to be more like....Who are yours? Feel free to write me and let me know.
1 comment:
I have never really identified heroes until recently. I had this concept that they had to be near perfect and I was always disillusioned whenever someone failed to meet that criteria or who lived such a pie-in-the-sky life, removed from the challenges of everyday living (ie., all their "answers" were intellectualized and not always practical). Plus, I admittedly have a bit of a trust issue! Then, recently, I discovered I was most impressed with those with simply were the most honest about their human frailties. (And, talk about synchronicity, I recently blogged on that myself!) I think one of the most important things we can do is be honest with ourselves -- to challenge our own ideas, prejudices ... our ego! When I meet people who can do this I'm always inspired to continue dredging through my own issues in order to become the best, honest, unprejudiced, compassionate person I can be.
Post a Comment