Heroes

So I was going through some old talks I had given to a crowed of Middle Schoolers some time ago, and realized that they weren't doing any good stuffed in a file. I hope this encourages you in some way today -- even if just a little.

Heroes: people who that by their choices and actions guide us in the dark nights, the wind at our backs, whose courage shows us the way in which we should go.

From a young age, we all understand that "heroes" are people with extraordinary ability. In fact, they may not even be human! Superman, Spiderman, The Incredible Hulk, even sports figures all maintain a mystical unapproachableness to their heroism. We like them, but we lose heart in thinking, "I could never be like them. I wish I could, but I can't."

Why do we want to be a hero?

We desire to conquer difficult situations effortlessly. We long to be noticed. We want to be seen as strong, not wimpy. I bet you never heard of super heroes named Super Loser, The Incredible Pansy, or Mr. I Don't Remember Anything. Everyone wants to be significant – to do something no one else could do.

In actuality, our true heroes were, and are people just like you and me, normal people. They understand that God had something important for them to do that no one else could do. And they did it, no matter how weird it seemed. They are the Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things.

If you've paid attention in Sunday school, then you have heard of Noah. Noah and the Ark. Everything from The Flood to animals coming into the boat two-by-two, we've all heard of this guy from days long forgotten who built a big boat. I won't retell the whole story here (watch Evan Almighty if you're still curious) but what I will tell you is that God had a crazy plan for Noah. God's plan for Noah had three parts: to be a right-doing man (righteous), to save mankind, and to live out his dream.

WHAT? "Live out his dream!?" You're telling me that it was Noah's dream to build the Ark?

Why not? Noah was a man. He probably loved working with his land, building things. He'd probably seen little boats used to catch fish in the rivers. If he was anything like me, or maybe you, he might of had a crazy idea to build a HUGE boat, a boat bigger than anyone ever built. Can you picture this old geezer in your head surrounded with how-to books about building boats (ok, so maybe there wasn't Boat Building for Idiots back then, but work with me here)? He probably didn't tell anyone of his crazy dream, knowing that they'd laugh at him. But God knew of this man's dream.

That is the cool thing about following God. When you are putting Him first and make it a priority to love Him with your life, then your dreams will be in line with what God wants for you to do. It's SOOO cool! That crazy idea floating around in your mind and heart may actually be exactly what God wants you to do!

God ended up using Noah's crazy dream to save the world from total annihilation. God used Noah to do something heroic. Movies are still being made about him after thousands of years. Something tells me no one is going to remember Superman or Spiderman in a thousand years.

So here is my charge to you, oh reader.

1) Don't Be Lazy! You have a dream. Don't let the fact that it seems far down the road or impossible, lead you to not doing anything at all! You were not designed to sit around playing video games all day. You were made for greatness! Go!

2) Imitate Godly People: People in the Bible and people around you live heroic lives. They have followed God and become heroes by living out their faith.

3) Be Patient with Yourself: It took Noah 100 years to build that boat. Noah didn't know how to a build a boat. He had to learn! He probably make tons of mistakes, smashed his thumb with a hammer and cussed under his breath. He probably got impatient with how long it was taking, but he kept at it. He did not give up on God or himself. So, be patient with yourself! Do well what is laid before you. God will use you like you never thought possible.