“The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” Judges 6:12 (NLT)
When I was a little boy I used to dream of being a great hero. I would daydream that someone broke into the house and I had to save my my mom and siblings from the evil burglar. Or I would be in school and daydream that the Russians had invaded and I had to save my teacher and classmates from being captured (Probably influenced by the nuclear attack drills we used to have in the early 60s). In these dreams I sometimes was severely wounded or nearly killed, but I was always courageous and brave. And the women were especially appreciative in these dreams, particularly whatever little girl I was enamored with at the time.
It’s like there was some deep desire in me from birth to offer my life to some great endeavor or enterprise that would demand my all. I dreamed of heroism.
The dictionary defines the word hero as someone who in the face of great adversity and danger or from a position of weakness, displays courage and the will to self-sacrifice for some greater good.
As I’ve thought about this desire for the heroic, I believe I’m not alone. I think every little boy dreams of being the hero. I think every little girl dreams of being in a heroic story too. Perhaps as the heroine or perhaps as the one the hero comes to save.
Little boys and little girls aren’t the only ones who dream of heroes. God looks for heroes too. I think He is the one who puts the desire in our hearts, both to be heroes and the desire to be saved by a great hero.
Starting this Sunday we’ll begin a six part message series entitled: “Heroes – Amazing Heroes of Faith.” We’ll be looking at men and women in the Bible who demonstrated such courageous and self-sacrificing faith that God lifts them up as His heroes.
I think this heart for the heroic comes from the greatest hero who ever lived, Jesus. He is our hero. And He puts the hero’s heart in all who follow Him.
Yes you’re not alone. Growing up in a military family we as children had many examples of heroism all around us. My buddies and I would lower ourselves into bomb shelters left over from WWII still stocked with water and K rations, and pretend we were the last line of defense against Khruschev’s army. The memory of all the heroes lost at Pearl Harbor still remained fresh in the hearts of all who were witnesses and we, as children were acting out their bravery as we played out our dreams of being heroes…..circa 1963.
Ha ha, me too.