What is a hero?

I've been thinking about this for a week now. What does the American culture say a hero is? Do we look to the Football quarterback with superbowl rings; or the basketball superstar with multiple MVP awards; or the golf pro with seemingly hundreds of titles under his belt; or the UFC champ that pounds his competion in to submission; or the movie star with Oscars in her trophy case; or the singer with platinum hits; or the multi-millionare with investments around the world, the politician with the silky voice and "grand" ideas? We idolize these men and women, put them on a pedestal, call them hero's, and worship the ground they work on.

What do these men and women that we idolize have in common? They are champions, they have led their teams to victory, laughed in face of defeat, invested wisely, practiced for hours on end, trained their entire lives, demand respect, encourage the fame, hide from the public, diet endlessly, give interviews, take pride in themselves, spend freely, go under the knife to make themselves look better, get bigger boobs, cut off the flab, tighten the butt, tuck the tummy, remove dimples in the thighs, get Botox, fear getting older, fear loosing the icon status, fear loosing the "look", fear loosing the talent, gear failure, fear being anonymous, fear being average, common.

Why do we look to these people for our hero's? Yes, they have done some amazing things. Yes, they are pleasing to the eye. Yes, they are rich and famous. But are these things worthy of our affection, trust and followership? Do they exemplify the ideals, morals, and values we hold dear? Do they give wise advice, want us to follow their lead, want to be honored? Sometimes.

The people we should be looking to are the ones who don't seek the spotlight for their actions, don't flaunt their fortunes, don't think of themselves first, don't want the fame and fortune, put others first, sacrifice of themsleves, give up life or limb, save lives and limbs, donate to charity, train their children "in the way they should go", pursue righteousness and justice. Firefighters, police, military, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, doctors, nurses, and religious leaders are some of the first ones we should be looking to. But we judge their actions to determine if they are worthy of hero status. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Judge the quality of their character". But we must be careful to judge only the actions and quality of the character not the intent. "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the divison of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" Heb4.12.NASB. Only God can judge the true intent of the heart.

I encourage you to seek men and women that are worthy of your affection, trust and loyalty.