What Real Heroes Look Like

Over the past several years I’ve seen memes on Facebook sharing pictures of soldiers shooting the enemy, standing around tents in the desert, riding on tanks, or snipping behind a wall, with the caption “This Is What a Real Hero Looks Like.” With each meme, some add their own little political twist, like: “Not Protesters in The Streets” or “Not a Guy in a Dress” – and I am certain you can name more.

As we stand in the ethos of our faith, in the echo of the voice of Jesus, a hero is not someone holding a gun, but rather it is someone holding out their hands in love, in grace, in acceptance. Someone willing to go beyond themselves, and into the world around them to feed the hungry, to house the homeless, to cloth the naked, to hug the lonely, to share their lives with the lives of others. Heroes are found, not in the battle fields, but under bridges feeding those society has pushed aside and neglected. They are found where the least are made whole, and made to feel like the greatest among us.