Heroes

Who are your heroes? We all probably have different heroes—people we respect for the great things they have done or the difference they have made in our lives. For example, our parents should be heroes for their love and everything they do for us.

Finding Examples to Follow

People interested in sports often look up to athletes who perform at the highest levels. For instance, basketball players might admire Michael Jordan for his legendary skills. Similarly, aspiring musicians often respect artists who write or perform music in ways they hope to emulate (copy or imitate) one day.

Heroes are examples for us to follow and teachers from whom we can learn. While there is nothing wrong with wanting to play sports or perform music like our heroes, we must remember that they are human. They may do things in their personal lives that are not good examples for us to copy.

Looking to Spiritual Heroes

Because of this, we should also choose spiritual heroes to look up to. Think of the apostle Paul’s incredible courage in teaching the gospel (the good news of Jesus Christ), even when it put his life in danger. He faced countless physical threats and hardships but never stopped preaching (2 Corinthians 11:22-28).

We can also look to young people in the Bible:

• Daniel and his friends: They faithfully worshipped God even when they were forced to live in a foreign land that worshipped idols.
• David’s mighty men: In 2 Samuel 23:8-29, we read about their bravery. One man defeated eight hundred enemies at once. Another stood his ground alone against the Philistines when the rest of the army fled. A third went down against a giant Egyptian, took his own spear, and defeated him.

These mighty men defended God’s people because they had deep trust in God.

Our Greatest Hero

Of course, our ultimate hero must be Jesus, who loved us so much that He died for us.

Read about His life, study His example, and strive to walk in His footsteps.