Who are your heroes?
June 12, 2023
I recently went to the celebration of life for one of my friends. This amazing man lived out his faith in word and action. His heart was big and his passion to see each person as created in the image of God was infectious. H. had just retired when his life ended and it is a big loss for people who knew him. For me it was also an inspiration to follow in his footsteps. His optimism inspires me, his balance in life encourages me, his faithfulness makes we want to stay closer connected with God.
We all have people in our lives who have inspired us to be better, to do more, to make a difference in this world. Here are just a few of mine: R&K who could have taken on their retirement and enjoyed a quiet life, instead took in a toddler to create some normalcy in my life. MM whose friendship saved my early years of life, even if we did not make it to the Olympics (Roller skating). JM who, during Bible College years lived justly, before I was even aware of the term. R&J who helped me understand myself better and believed that there was more to me than abuse and pain. SC who became my friend and confidant when I first went to college in the US, we made See’s candy owners rich during our nightly conversations. JP who inspired me with his courage to lead and bring justice in a world when they did not want to hear from black people. DA who lived out her faith and had the courage to stand up against her abusive husband, overcome cancer, then lived with the aftereffects of an aneurysm. Her disabilities did not stand in her way, but as she would say, ‘I can still cook’ and would make meals for the homeless in her community. JY whose tenacity and logic would bring her so far and taught me so much. JV whose gentle spirit and generous coaching turned my life around. AS whose love for God inspired me. TL whose coaching has taught me so much. WM who inspired me to think bigger and dream. JG whose unconditional love made me a better person.
I could go on, each person has deeply impacted me and each one of them have made me into the person I am today. I hope that I can be a person who influences others, I hope that one day, a person will say that they learned something from me that moved them forward in life, pointed them to God and encouraged them to be a better version of themselves.
Who are your heroes? Who are the people who have influenced you to be the person you are today? Do they know what they did for you?
And who are the people you in turn influence?
Today, take a moment to be a hero to someone, be a mentor to a person who needs to a kind word, be an encourager.
H. had the uncanny ability to make you feel that you are the most important person in the room. When he connected with me, his eye contact would say ‘you matter, I see you.’ His heart to serve the people who were often unseen inspired me to do better