Looking for a Hero

            I have been thinking a bit about heroes.  Recently I had a talk with my son about various leaders in our country and it is difficult to find someone that I can point to and say, “Cade, that is exactly the kind of person that I want you to be when you grow up.”  We find many people in our country who do good things, but who still have glaring character flaws.  As for myself, there is a reoccurring experience of getting excited about a leader, only to get disappointed in some way.

            That idea of “heroes” came to my mind and I was studying the book of Judges.  God raises up several delivers, but they all have problems.  You have Gideon, this man that God rose up who took this mighty risk for God.  Yet, his leadership doesn’t end well.  He took for himself numerous wives and created an ephod (a religious object used for inquiring of God) that was worshipped as an idol by the Israelite people.   Jepthah is another deliverer, but he makes rash oaths that ends up costing the life of his daughter.  Samson has super strength, yet is vengeful and is undone by his own lack of discipline.  The only leader that comes off in a positive light is Deborah and we just aren’t given that many details about her life!  You get the idea from the book of Judges that there is no human who can truly fit the label of “hero”.  If you want someone to follow, you need to look ahead to God in the flesh, Jesus.

            In Hebrews 12:2, it talks about “fixing out eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith”.  When I think back to my talks with Cade, it a good reminder to point him toward Jesus.  In my own life, I need to make sure that he is the hero that I am emulating.