I'm totally intrigued right now with the Mighty Men. Their stories are written in the bible, 2nd Samuel. I wish I could have known these men! One of them, with winter snow on the ground, went down into a pit and killed a lion. Another was on the front lines of a battle, and when his entire army retreated and ran back to their city, he stood his ground and killed 300 men with his sword! These men did amazing things, and thousands of years later their stories are being told. I wonder what stories will be told of me after a generation goes by, let alone thousands of years.
It strikes me that a man who would slide into a pit with a lion has either great courage or an intelligence deficiency. Seeing as it was a snowy day, the lion was probably walking along, minding his own business (or worse, hunting) when he lost his footing in the snow and slid into a pit. Try as he might, the lion cannot escape the pit, and is still there when Benaiah finds him. The last time I happened upon a lion in the wild who had spent God knows how long trying to climb snowy banks without success, I thought to myself, "Self, why don't you slide down there with that lion and kill him. He seems pretty pissed, so you're just putting him out of his misery." No, 'fraid not. I would be the one high-tailing it out of there in case the lion gets one good footing and flies out of there, hungry and mad. Sliding myself into a snowy grave with a hungry, pissed off lion is not my idea of a courageous afternoon activity. Maybe that's why no one is writing stories about me, or naming me among mighty men. Heck, I'm not even trusted to ward off scary men in the office.
Now, apart from my cynicism, here's reality: there aren't lions in pits in my neighborhood. So here's where the dialog begins. What are some 21st Century examples of heroism and courage? Can those acts be performed by an average guy, or do you have to achieve some sort of status to be recognized in this way, and if so, what is that status level?
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So how do you define heroic? Is standing up for your faith heroic? Or encouraging someone else to stand up and be strong in their faith heroic?
What about raising a child in this day and age or living as a faithful husband?
Are we looking for true heroism or acknowledgement of some epic deed?
Ok, so heroism may not have been the best word for me to use. Many people who stood up for their faith thousands of years ago are still being talked about. And many child raisers and faithful husbands have been forgotten over the course of time. Specifically thinking about the mighty men, these guys were doing things the average man trembled in fear just thinking about. Killing giants, fighting armies single handedly, wrestling with lions...these are activities the rest of us would die trying to do. Many people have failed as parents and spouses, but only a few have died with their failures, and this success isn't against all odds.
A couple modern day Mighty Men to get us started: Christopher Columbus & Martin Luther. I hesitate to name anyone alive today, because it's hard to say if they will be remembered.
Ok ... the one that will do it for me is going to Billy Graham. He will be remembered for a long time for the things that he has done to impact not only a few people, but an entire nation ... the whole world? And what about Mother Teresa? These are who I think of as modern day superheroes.
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