Mary is my hero forever.

My attraction to the idea of heroes started with this sentence. I've come to use the word "hero" rather casually in the last few years. When I need a favor, I'll say something to the effect of "Wanna be my hero and [favor]?" Or to thank someone for doing me a favor, I say things like "You are my hero forever."

Ultimately, though, I am captivated by the idea of heroes and heroism. Most often, we connect the idea of heroes with the conecpt of rescue. Superheroes save helpless citizens from the evil powers that be. We saw heroes emerge on 9/11; they were people that were willing to risk their lives to rescue others.

From some source...i'll find it later:
he·ro
n. pl. he·roes

1. In mythology and legend, a man, often of divine ancestry, who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for his bold exploits, and favored by the gods.
2. A person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life: soldiers and nurses who were heroes in an unpopular war.
3. A person noted for special achievement in a particular field: the heroes of medicine

The word hero is Greek, from a root that means "to protect and to serve".

A Hero is someone who is willing to sacrifice his own needs on behalf of others, like a shepherd who will sacrifice to protect and serve his flock. At the root of the idea of Hero is connected with self-sacrifice.


There are several words I associate with the idea of heroism: virtuous, committed, and humble. Heroes look to meet the needs of others, needs that cannot be met by the efforts of those in need. The Friday after 9/11, the major TV networks gave up millions of dollars of revenue to air "A Tribute to Heroes." Intermixed with all the musical tributes were little vignettes describing the different heroes that arose on 9/11. The naming of heroes became a source of comfort for a mourning country. It brought elements of humanity into a cruel, inhumane act of violence. But was that it?

From a Christian perspective, how are we to respond to a celebration of heroes? A hero who seeks the glory of being a hero is no hero at all. Haha..that sounds like a fortune cookie statement. But this is why humility is so integral in the character of someone I would consider heroic. If we celebrate heroes without giving praise to God, then we are glorifying man.

But what about the everyday hereos? The unsung heroes who are working day-in day-out to improve the conditions of the poor, thee helpless, and the lost? Why are people only called heroes after they die? The idea of self-sacrifice is at the root of the idea of heroes. But does only loss of life equate with self-sacrifice? To the media, it does. Now, I'm not going to get into a scathing diatribe on American media. In acts of kindness, generosity, service, and compassion, we all have the qualities of heroes. We are capable of doing heroic acts. But, to be a hero...

A friend has gotten me to read comic books lately as I've been thinking about this idea of heroes. I've never read comic books untill now. (brief SN: I'm really impressed with comic books. They are quality reading and art!) One thing I've been struck by is the humanness of the heroes. When I was little, my dad took me to see all four of the superman movies in the theater. I don't remember much about Clark Kent, but I remembered a lot about Superman. In the comic books (both Superman and others), the human character development has been phenomenal. I was really struck by one story in which the superhero at the end takes off his mask to reveal his face to the boy he is rescuing. He allows the boy to touch his face and to have an intimate human interaction with him. Heroes are people, people around us.

We are called as believers to be diligent, to lead a quiet life, and to work with our hands. Most people who I would consider to be heroes are heroes not because they have done something glamarous or risky once in their lives, but because they labor faithfully and quietly. They are self-sacrificing with their time, energy, and thoughts. The heroic people I have met have no strived to be heroes. They just were. It's interesting, though, that as I notice heroic acts around me, I've started to see less of the "hero" and more of Christ. And that is a blessing.

I hope my future husband is one of those quiet hero types. But that's neither here nor there.