Who is Your Hero?

Heroes. We all have them. When I was five, it was Mr. Green Jeans on Captain Kangaroo. When I was thirteen, it was heart throb Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Later, my heroes were more realistic: my high-school counselor whose compassion never wavered, even while dying of cancer. Then there was the elderly nurse manager whose heartfelt words gave me the encouragement I needed to go into nursing. Later, my heroes were my parents, whose sage advice, love and guidance made my road of rough edges just a little smoother. There are others, too, who have been--and still are--my heroes. 

So, what is a hero? For most, it is someone whom we highly regard and look up to with admiration. Someone we'd like to emulate. Someone who has seemingly perfect insight, intelligence and wisdom, someone who has the ability to overcome most any obstacle. To us it seems they are perfect and flawless, even though we know that is not humanly possible.             

But there is One who is perfect and flawless, One who knows all, understands all, and to whom no earthly hero could ever compare. However, he was never regarded--or treated--as a hero. Quite the opposite. He was singled out, accused, degraded, humiliated, beaten, and subsequently wrongly sentenced to death. If there ever was a true hero, it was this man, Jesus Christ. He overcame death on the cross. After three days he was resurrected from the dead, ascended into Heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father. Jesus came to do what no earthly Superman or Superwoman could ever do--to save us from the sin of the world.  Jesus Christ. The. One. True. Hero.