Giving thanks for the heroes of my life - Day 18

Hero.

It is a word most of us do not associate with ourselves.  It is a word that we usually reserve for the use within the context of the military, police, fire fighters and emergency responders who so willing risk their lives for us every day.

But today I am thinking about another kind of hero.  Not the kind with flashing lights, badges, capes or masks...but rather that seemingly ordinary person who says all the right things at exactly the right time in your life.  You know, the friend who calls just when you needed to talk or to be cheered up.  The leader who looks at you and sees the real you despite how you feel about yourself.  Or the stranger who goes out of their way and says a kind word or does a random act of kindness.  These are the people who are the every day heroes.  The ones who don't even realize the influence they really have on the world around them.

They are the ones who can change the destiny of an entire generation because they gave of their time when someone needed it the most.  Some would call it planting seeds, others would say it is just doing the Father's business, but I say they are heroes. Unsung heroes that simply love the unlovable, speak the truth in love and open their hearts and mouths to reach out to someone in need.


And I am grateful for the heroes in my own life.  If you don't know who you are, I will be sure to let you know in the coming days.  I would not be who I am today if it were not for the heroes in my life.  I would have gone down the hard paths, taken the tough roads, and had to learn everything the hard way.  But people invested (and are investing) in me, and because of that, I know my life is better today than it could have been.  They loved me when I rejected it, they spoke life into me when I was dying, and they give me the hope to continue to do what God is calling me to do in my life.  My heroes are awesome.

Am I a hero?  I don't know, but I can honestly say that someday I hope to hear from God that I was somebody's hero and that I was a good and faithful servant. Not so that I can pridefully carry that title, but so that I know that all that was invested into me by my heroes was not in vain but rather so that God could use me to do even more for the people He loves so much.