Choosing Our Heroes (Hint: We're Doing It Wrong)

By Gobel Brockman

This past week a long-time player in the National Basketball Association played his last game before retirement. Sports talk shows and evening newscasts were filled with highlights of his career. His stats and accomplishments were reviewed and reverenced. Tickets for his last game were sold for literally thousands of dollars apiece. At the same time, another team in the NBA broke the record for the most wins in a regular season - a record that many thought would never be broken. Talk of this team's accomplishment, while not as widespread, has also dominated the airwaves.

Our society seems to be enamored with celebrities. Athletes, actors and actresses, and singers and musicians seem to be almost idolized in our society. They are lauded with praise and admiration for their accomplishments while seemingly getting a pass for any failures or indiscretions they may be guilty of. I don't want what I have to say this week to be seen as a "slam" against these folks; I know that they work hard to hone their talents and be the best they can be at what they do. I simply question who we as a society choose to revere.

Let me explain why I'm saying this.

This past week our church hosted a pastor and his wife who minister in the Philippines. During the week they both spoke with a power and anointing that only comes from a life that has been fully surrendered to Christ. During their last service with us, the pastor shared stories of persecution he had both witnessed and experienced first-hand. The following morning I drove the couple to their next destination in Terre Haute. During our trip the pastor shared the story with me about how the people in his community once made the long trek to church during a flood, and then stood in waist-deep water while singing and praising God and listening to the preaching of His word. He then went into greater detail about some of the persecution he had seen in some of the areas he had ministered in - stories of beatings, physical dismemberment, families being separated, and horrible, unimaginable deaths. Persecution that would have been avoided if only the people at risk would renounce their faith in Christ. This couple has both seen and endured things that we here in America can't imagine - as much as we may try. And yet their faith in Jesus is not only strong, but the things that they have went through have only made their faith stronger. He also told me of times that his family had absolutely nothing to eat. He would tell his family, "Prepare the table. God will provide." and then he would go into prayer. Time and time again, just as mealtime would come, food would arrive. Their life and their ministry is a continuous, undeniable proof of the power of God and the reward of faithfulness in the face of opposition.

THAT, my friends, is the definition of "hero" to me.

Their names will never be in lights. I dare say that if I even mentioned their names that very few reading this would have even heard of them. Yet these people, and countless, nameless others just like them, are simply living their lives in obedience and sacrifice to Jesus Christ - and changing the world around them in the process. It reminds me of what Jesus said in Matthew 23:11-12:

     "The greatest among you shall be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

These "servants" are touching their world for Jesus, and I definitely felt "humbled" to be in their presence. (I also learned that in the future, I need to be prepared with something to wipe the tears from my eyes while driving with them. Driving while crying is not a good combination.) It simply occurred to me that standing behind a pulpit, putting out a couple of "books" on Kindle or typing a Facebook devotional just doesn't measure up to what these faithful servants have experienced. May I learn from their example what it truly means to be a servant of Jesus Christ.

To this couple who I shall leave nameless, and to the countless others just like them, I will simply say this - thanks for being heroes. May God bless you in your work. Well done, good and faithful servants.

And may I learn from your example.