Little boys dream of being heroes! From the moment we take our first steps we long to save damsels in distress, stage rescues in burning buildings, or make winning shots that seal championships.
Recently, a good friend of mine shared with me his 12-year-old son’s essay on, “What is a hero.”
What is a Hero? A hero can be many things. Some people see a hero as someone who saves the world from evil. Others think football or basketball players are heroes because they made the winning goal. What a hero really is, is someone who has made a huge impact on your life and always is willing to help.
Remember when you were a kid, you had nightmares? Well for me those nights were very hard to get through. For a while I didn’t say anything about it. Then one night I had a terrible nightmare. I went to get my dad and told him about it. He showed me a verse in the Bible. The verse was Joshua 1:8-9. It read, “Let God’s word guide your life and all your decisions as you live for Him. You can find strength and courage by His guidance in your life.” I would tell that to myself that every night and I would not have nightmares.
My dad has always helped me get through hard and confusing things in my life. He always helped me see the bright side of things. Once I was upset because I thought it was no fun being the middle child. He then told me, “The middle of everything is the best part. For example the cream in the center of an Oreo is the best part.” He helped me understand that I was important and my family cared about me so much.
He is also probably the most understanding and forgiving person in my life. Whenever I mess up he usually will say, “That’s okay try to do better next time.” Sometimes when I was younger and I needed more discipline he would spank me and I would ask him, “Daddy why do you spank me?” He would answer, “Because I love you.” When I was younger I did not understand what that meant. Now I know what it means what he was saying was he was spanking me to remind me not to do it again and it sure did work.
He may have not been the best at sports. But he sure knew how to raise a kid. I understand what he did was for my own good and it helped me turn out the way I am. A hero is a person who makes a huge impact on your life. My dad is my hero.
Surprisingly, there were no women to rescue, fires to extinguish, or buzzers to beat. There was simply a young boy trying to find his way.
This story reminds me that our definition of heroism ultimately determines the degree to which we impact the people around us. Starting with a faulty definition of heroism (one based on money, fame, power or beauty) leads us to search for the extraordinary…while overlooking the ordinary. In doing so we miss the chance to be a hero to those closest to us. More often than not we wind up being hero to no one.
Ordinary heroes:
See the bigger picture of the lives of those around them
Intervene to do things for others that they cannot do for themselves
Don’t mind that the work is often thankless, the pay is cheap, and there is no spotlight
Offer assistance out of their unselfish commitment to the other person’s needs and best interests
Through this young man’s essay I caught a glimpse of a dad who saw the bigger picture of his son’s life, intervened to do things for his son that he couldn’t do for himself…and always looked out for his son’s best interests. This dad became his son’s hero when years later the boy, now a young man, gained enough perspective to realize he’s a better person because of his father’s love.
How do you define heroism? Are you waiting for an extraordinary moment to unfold…or are you prepared to seize the ordinary moments to be an ordinary hero? Why not start with your kids – they probably still need a hero!