Not Everyone is a Hero

Not every warrior becomes a decorated hero. Not every heroic act in a battle receives recognition. It may be that the most unselfish, daring acts of courage are unknown to anyone other than the one who did it and the recipient. For him or her, it may not have been considered an act of courage, but rather doing what needed to be done at the time.

On the battlefield there are acts of courage on both sides of the line. Men risking their lives for their comrades. Occasionally, courageous acts, respect, and benevolence extends beyond their own ranks to those of the enemy.

I remember a story that happened in WWII. An American colonel was in the heat of battle, against the Germans. His riflemen had advanced faster than the flanking units, leaving themselves exposed and cut off from the other units by the enemy. The fight to rescue those men lasted for several days. In desperation to save them, the colonel personally commandeered a couple tanks, in a last courageous attempt to open a narrow escape corridor for them. In the icy conditions, one tank was immobilized by enemy fire. Undaunted he pressed forward in the lead tank, while personally manning the machine gun. In the process, he entered the enemy field of fire, jumped down and pulled three of his injured men up onto the tank before backing away to safety. This display of courage was not for fame or honor, but his love and respect for his men. Later a German general wrote about it in his account of the war. He said he and his men could have easily gunned him down, but instead held their fire in admiration for the American colonel’s courage.

No doubt for every story of heroism on the battlefield, there are many more that never received recognition. Likewise, throughout history, many individuals who have made great contributions to society only received recognition for their deeds after they were gone. For most, they would not have considered themselves heroic, but simply doing what they felt was the proper thing to do at the time.

We read our children Bible stories of great characters: David and Goliath, Daniel in the lion’s den, Abraham, and many others. These are awe inspiring stories, which inspire us with faith and courage. However, what about other accounts in the Bible which show us man’s human weakness being tested? There was Elijah who worked a great miracle of God, then ran away to hide. Why did Jesus need to slip away alone to the hills to spend time praying to His father? What about the Old Testament battles which were lost because of sin, or Peter telling outright lies when questioned whether he knew Jesus? And what about martyrs who suffered in the dungeons all alone, then gave their life for their faith?

It may be our tendency to look at our fathers of faith with the idea that their faith and courage is a level which is unattainable for us. In our minds we may place them on a pedestal of perfection above what we should. Indeed, their examples are a great source of inspiration and courage, so it is not my intent to discredit them. However, I believe they were normal humans like you and me. God did not forsake them. In the end, because they were not popular with the leaders of the day, many ended up giving their lives for what they believed in.

Recently I listened to a story about a missionary couple who was captured and held for ransom. The lady survived and became active in speaking arrangements around the country, telling people how God took care of them. Their story is indeed inspiring and moving; however, we may be tempted to desire that kind of recognition for things we have done. Or we may consider people like that to be better and stronger Christians than we are. While it may be true that their faith in God was put to the test in unusual ways and their story is inspiring; in no way does it set a standard of holiness for those who simply live for the Lord in daily humble obedience. Those who have experienced those things did not do so by their own choice, neither would they have done so had the choice been given to them. Our true test of faith in courage is when we are faithful to the Lord in areas that no one else knows about, and we receive no recognition.

There are struggles we have in life which have no answers and we bear alone. We may question why something happened, and where God is. We may feel insignificant, unappreciated, and alone. Yet, God sees the tears behind closed doors; He hears the silent cry that no one else hears. He sees us for who we really are. He sees when we are not okay and have no one to share the struggle with, and is already there waiting to give us comfort and strength. Not always is there a clear answer to the questions we face; sometimes the struggle may seem unbearable. Yet He says in His word that He knows the number of the hairs on our heads, and the sparrow that falls does not miss His all-seeing eyes. How much more valuable are we than the sparrow? We must never forget that we are His creation, created for His purpose. Though we cannot see Him, He is seeing us, listening to our hearts, and weeping along with us. He feels the emptiness inside of us when we are struggling to cope with loss, misunderstanding and grief. He understands the feeling of the gulf, the separation we feel inside caused by pain, and He strives to show us His love and how much we mean to Him.

Take the time to find Him and sit in silence at His feet. Sit quietly in His presence and listen; He will show you how much He really cares. We should find ourselves going to that quiet place time and time again, to gain strength. In so doing we will find our load will become lighter and we will come to a deeper understanding of God’s tender nature, as well as our need of Him.

Though some may receive honor and fame, let us never let that hinder us from quietly serving the Lord in the small corner He has placed us in. When we feel all alone and forsaken, may we not hesitate to come to God, letting Him fill the loneliness we feel within with His love.

And by the way; if one day you should become a hero, remember that once you were a normal everyday person, just like everyone else.

Though I do not believe in physical warfare, there are many lessons we can learn from the battles fought. After all, as Christians, we fight in a spiritual warfare between pleasing ourselves, and choosing God’s way.