Where are the heroes now?

I’ve been surprised over the weekend at how a series of events converged to make me ask this question.  It began with a conversation about Donald McCallum on a visit to the Step Out team in Wigtown. Stephen McGarva and I talked of the influence of Donald on our lives and ministry and a conversation closed with the comment, “they don’t make them like that any more.”

At the same time, tributes to John Stott began to cross my desk, a man whose writing has greatly influenced evangelical thinking and preaching in our nation and whose lifestyle demonstrated a whole life commitment to the call of God.

On Saturday morning I sat down with the Scotsman and began to read Stephen McGinty’s centre page article entitled “Feet of clay have walked over our requirement for real role models.” He made the point that solid dependable role models of the past have been shown to be wanting; Bank managers, the Roman Catholic Church, Politicians and so his list goes on. He comments “all the familiar pillars of the community now appear to have feet of clay.” And he asked the question, “is it right to put anyone on a pedestal, to view someone else as an example of correct behaviour?”

On Sunday Morning I was in Galashiels Baptist Church and the issue of heroes arose again. The “Step Out” team were finishing their week’s mission. 6 young people who had given up a week of their holidays to serve the children , young people and church of Gala. I am certain they had not been the perfect team but the children of that town had new heroes: young people between 14 and 20 years of age who they thought were wonderful, whose signatures they wanted to gather, whose photo they wanted to keep, heroes at least for a week or two, influencers who had given, shared and offered themselves to this community. And the Step Out team personnel had met other heroes in Gala who they wanted to follow, naming names of people who had influenced them through mature Christian character and service in the local church.

This morning I spent time reflecting on Romans 12v1-2: ¹ Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is true worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 

It struck me that we all need role models, heroes, who are doing this, people who are further down the road than we are in the process of transformation. The heroes I am looking for just like the kids of Gala are those who are offering themselves as living sacrifices, who have thrown off the pattern of conformity to the acceptable standards of our culture and instead are living transformed lives; heroes with humility; heroes who find it difficult to say as the apostle Paul did “follow me as I follow Christ.”

In an attempt to answer my own question, I think we have heroes all around us if we will only see the quiet sacrifice and generosity of service displayed by them. Why not give thanks today for those whom God has used to influence your life and take a minute to reflect on how you might grow what you have seen in others.