Please don’t trash my heroes
I’ve been thinking about heroes. We have grown up learning about so many iconic, significant figures that in one way or another have made tremendous contributions to our history. Am I correct in observing that in our current time, it seems to be a popular thing to trash these individuals by writing books and articles and spreading urban legends that attack these well known individuals’ character?
Of course, no person is perfect, except Jesus. And with all mortal humans, it doesn’t take long to find fault; we all fall short of the glory of God. But we do need people we can look up to and learn from. People whose life stories encourage us to keep working, dreaming and practicing.
These days there’s more than enough wet blankets that are ready, willing and able to pour rain on the parade. Nothing or no one is sacred; Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Walt Disney and John Lennon are all on the firing line just to name a few. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to hear anymore negative press on people who I have been inspired by! I don’t think I’m being naive, I just think it’s bad form to attack those who have long since gone on. I would rather focus on the clearly positive things these individuals accomplished in their time, like restoring the Union, inspiring the country to move forward, work toward civil rights, take creativity to a new level, and madly work for peace in the face of madness.
Pastor Jebby,
I agree with you about the wet blankets out there… There are plenty of people around that have become so embittered with life and its experiences that they can only discourage and/or criticize. It is sad when all we can comment on is the bad or the shortcomings of others. Jesus is our example for how we are to handle the shortcomings and bad things we see in others.
Jesus knew about the shortcomings of man and yet he still chose us to be his hands and feet in the earth. Just like he knows about our frailties and falling shorts, he also knows about the potential greatness that resides on the inside of a human that is yielded to God… The bible says that “in man there is no good thing”, and yet with Christ in the flesh, we see an example of a yielded man. Jesus said He only did what he was biden to do by His father. He said “as my father is so am I”. Again and again He refers to His connection with His heavenly father. It seems to me that indeed apart from God He could do nothing!
Whenever Jesus saw the bad in man, He would point man to God, He would say “Have the faith of God…”, or “forgive and your heavenly father will forgive you”, or “go and sin no more”. It seems that Christ was trying to get man to emulate and stay connected to His heavenly father.
Christ never tried to get us to be the best human we could be, He was trying to get us to be the best man/woman of God we could be… It is not about us, it is all about God in us, the hope of Glory.
When Peter denied Christ, Jesus knew he would, told him he would, and yet chose him to lead the spreading of the gospel. Christ is not surprised by our falling shorts… He has faith in the God in us and our ability, with the Holy Spirit’s help,to yield to Him. There are many men and women I look up to and admire, for their moments of greatness. Martin Luther King Jr., the original Martin Luther,Billy Graham, and Mother Teresa… All of these people had moments of greatness through their connection with God!