A hero is defined as a person who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. They could be the chief male character in a book, play, or film, who is typically identified with good qualities, and with whom the reader is expected to sympathize. In mythology and folklore a hero is defined as a person of superhuman qualities and often semi-divine origin, in particular one whose exploits were the subject of an ancient Greek myth [OXFORD LIVING DICTIONARIES].
Here’s my definition of a hero in the world we’re living in: A hero is a person who knows and accepts their shortcomings but fights to seek the face of God with all they have despite how difficult it is and how many times they fall. This kind of hero is kin to the world and understands the way things work but they choose the bigger picture and play their part when their moment of purpose demands it.
It takes a zero to make a hero
It’s easy to think that heroes are these Amazons (amazing people) which occur as a result of some special phenomena that excludes the rest of us. There are so many award winning materials which have successfully promoted this idea by portraying these larger than life characters imbued with greatness right from the moment we are introduced to them on screen/page. They win our hearts because they are so attractively above us. They have a greatness we perceive to be beyond us. We live our lives praising them and staying basic because we are eluded by the truth.
The deeper we get into the truth on this walk with God the more we start to fall in love with ourselves as His creations. We fall in a good and contagious love that doesn’t rely on our performance or which church we go to. When we finally fall in this love we don’t bounce between the extremes of stigmata and self righteousness. Instead we acknowledge our poor judgements, humble ourselves and subtract our ego from the centre of the universe because we realise that in our nothingness God is our everything.
Through Him we are all heroes and we can all benefit from the unique greatness we each possess. There are many who started from the bottom with little more than a flame in their heart and a will to be useful for the greater good. Some started out at the top and had to fall to achieve the great things they did and some even started out as the reason we need heroes in the first place.
I believe that heroes are made and I believe that they are made according to the purpose of a graceful God. I don’t know your name but I know that there is a hero in YOU. I’ve never met you and I certainly don’t know you like that but I believe in YOU. Why? Because no matter what you have been told, no matter what you have seen and no matter what you may currently believe after all you’ve been through there is more to you than you care to admit.
You are still standing and for a good reason whether you feel that you cheated your way to it or there must have been a glitch in the matrix because you are totally not the One. I have no idea where your mind is at right now but I know that a transformation has taken place inside of you for every tear that has ever rolled down your cheek or every tear you’ve secretly fought back and developed a defence mechanism to keep safe.
A transformation has taken place in you for every mistake/angry outburst/violent expression that has left you feeling less than and has led you to self-flagellate with random sex/drugs/porn/other equally destructive things. A transformation took place within you when you chose to step into the light with all your faults for everyone to see and judge and that is what has made you a hero in my eyes (when you gave your life to Christ).
You have chosen to make the best of the life that you do have left. Yes there are hard days when the enemy throws stones at you and it feels like you are back to square one but because you keep your eyes on the prize at the end of your race you are a Hero. You are going to fall and your song may never be sung but God will know that you were His who walked the earth and fulfilled the purpose that He destined for you. So from today stop waiting for them to write your story or sing your song, don’t let them start your business or make your discovery. Just get-up from where you are dust those knees up real good and get going to God.
Sharon Rateiwa is a lover of art with a natural flair for the artistic. When she isn’t sharing inspirational pieces with the world, she designs and performs as a singer and poet. Sharon believes that we of God’s generation have a mandate to take up Godly arms in the fight for a meaningful existence. She gives encouragement by sharing her own colourful encounters.