Who's Your Hero? Part 1

Who is your hero?

I've been pondering this thought lately as I've gone through daily chores like dishes or laundry or cleaning or making beds. When I taught junior high grammar I had a journal assignment every Friday for the kids. I'd think of a question, a quote, a thought, put it down on a pre-made form, and have them share their thoughts with me. It was my favorite thing to grade. One question I asked them each year was "Who is your hero?" I think it says a lot about a person when you find out who they revere or desire to emulate.

I will admit, I was often disappointed with their answers. So often it was a Hollywood star, a sports person, a musician... and most times ones that have seemingly no morals. Often the student confused the characters they played with their real life personalities. Strip away the money, the fame, the prestige and what did you have? Shallowness. Of course, when I was that age, my heroes were probably the same type of people. But as I grew older, I learned the importance of having heroes that are "real" people. Ones that I could see going through the trials of life and still choose to make right, Godly decisions. Ones that maybe didn't have the money and fame and popularity but possessed things greater than riches - things like character, humility, honor, morals, a hard work ethic, respect for others...

I tried to impress upon my students that it is vital to have a real person as your hero so you can watch them and learn from them.

I have several heroes in my life and have thought about them often the past week or so. So, for the next few blog posts, I'd like to share who my heroes are, what they have taught me, and why I consider them my heroes.

And I ask you the same question - who are your heroes?