To Be a Hero...

Podcast loosely based on this blog entry available here.

All my life, I've dreamed of being a hero. The guy who pulls someone out of a burning building. The sailor who takes his injured shipmates topside while the ship is sinking. The guy who pushes a little old lady out of the path of an oncoming car.

Sadly, none of those opportunities have presented themselves in my nearly 41 years. My brother and a bunch of his buddies went into a burning house and took all the furniture out while the homeowner was away. I know a few people who have performed CPR on people and saved their lives. Once, when we were in very deep (~25 feet) water off Padre Island, my best friend saved my brother when he started sinking with a charley horse. Me, I've just been chugging along wishing I could one day be a hero.

Then, a couple of years ago, a friend of mine (a lady I called 'Mom' 'cuz I spent so much time at her house during my high school years) told me that I was a hero and was indirectly responsible for saving many souls for eternity. It kinda put everything in perspective.

My friend had four sons and a daughter. The two oldest sons were already out with families of their own. The third son was a year older than me and a good friend. Her daughter is a year younger than me, and the youngest son is a few years younger than her.

In 1982, their dad died of a massive heart attack. Curtis (number 3 son) tried to save him with CPR, but the ambulance crew said he was likely too late - even a few seconds afterward. I'd never been in a situation like that before. I attended church, and I knew a church was supposed to reach out to families in need. If anyone was ever in need, it was that dear family of my friends. I invited them to my church. Then, a few years later, I abandoned the church.

Mom joined the church. The two oldest boys are now preachers. Curtis, sadly, died of cancer a few years ago, but was happy to go to the LORD, for he knew that was his destination. The daughter has become very active in her church, even inviting several friends to turn their lives over to Christ.

And all because I grabbed them while they were sinking.

I learned that it doesn't take much effort to be a hero, really. After all, these lives on Earth are short anyway - and whether we are pulled from a hundred burning buildings, we will eventually go to meet God one day. That's when the real test is. Will your friends stay out of the fire or be burned? What about the co-workers who laugh at you about your relationship with Christ?

Can any of us be a hero? Yeah. We can all be. But it takes some courage. You have to open up your mouth and tell what Jesus has done for you. Remember this: What He did for you, He can also do for your friends. Tell 'em about it!