Heroes

I’ve been thinking a lot today about heroes. Not the Superman, Batman kind of hero but the real life hero. A real person that you look up to, try to model yourself after, and think “If I could do it like they did it that would be awesome.” I’ve been thinking about this because one of mine was put in the hospital early this morning. My grandfather is hands down one of my “heroes in the faith.”

(I actually have several men in my life that I am able to look up to. I know that I’m lucky to be able to make that statement, but it’s true.)

I have many fond memories of my grandfather. Memories that take me back to my childhood and make me smile. I remember going camping and waking up in the morning to the smell of him cooking bacon on the grill. I remember that he loved to slice block cheese into thin slices, and always had a Tupperware container with some in the refrigerator. I could go on and on.

The thing that makes him one of my heroes in the faith is not these childhood memories, but other memories. My grandfather has taught Sunday School at various churches as long as I can remember. He is the one who sat down with me at the age of 15 and helped me prepare the first lesson I taught to a room full of adults at our church. (I taught on the “Rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16. I think the lesson lasted a total of 5 minutes. It’s amazing how fast you can talk when you are that scared.)

My grandfather was the one that would go down to the altar with his Bible under his arm to explain to someone how to be saved, or how to find their way back to God. When he taught people listened and God moved.

The thing about a hero is that they cause us to look at ourselves. They challenge us to do better, try harder, and do more than we thought possible. I don’t know if I would be writing this blog right now if it wasn’t for him.

Then I begin to wonder, am I a hero to anyone. Does anybody look up to me the way I looked up to him? If someone is looking up to me, am I doing everything in my power to lead them in the right direction? God has blessed me to work in several ministries. I teach a class. I’m the youth leader in my church. I write blogs, and publish my lessons on the internet. These things are so important, people are watching my life. I must do right.

More important than all those ministries, God has given me the ministry of being a father and husband. I have the job of leading my wife and two children in the right direction. If I don’t teach my children right, who will? It’s my job as their father to be their hero. Wow, this is so much to digest, to think about.

So, how about you? Each of us has someone looking up to us. Maybe a child, grandchild, someone we teach or mentor. Are you being a hero? Can others look up to you? I hope someday, it can be said about me “he was my hero.” How about you?

My prayer today is “God lead me in the right path, because someone is following me”.