Why are we so moved by legends such as Robin Hood?
Because we long to see someone who is strong and able who will stand up for what is right even at the risk of their own life and limb. We want them to win. We watch our heroes fly through the air, arrows flying, saving the weak, punishing the wicked.
The question is, can we be like them?
Heroism doesn’t always involve physical feats of glory. Sometimes it happens in every day life.
It is hardest to be a hero when we put our life, limb, property, happiness, comfort, etc. at risk. In the movies the good guys win, although sometimes they die a hero’s death. Did the hero know that they won?
To be a real hero you risk life, limb, and everything else without ever knowing if it will really do anybody any good. You don’t know if the good guys win in the end. Maybe you’ll die for nothing.
The Reality of God’s Existence, and the Revelation of His Character and Nature through the Bible and through the Gospel of Jesus Christ can empower heroes!
If someone has hope for a better eternity, and hope that God will set things right even if their own efforts fail, that someone can do acts of great heroism even in the face of impossibility.
We need heroes in America. We need people who will dream and act. We need people who will see a glorious future no matter how bad things get. We need people who will not run to the hills in despair but who will stand and fight for what is right even if they only experience persecution, suffering and loss.
I wonder if I will be able to see a glorious future when it is my turn to hang on a cross. When it looks like my own efforts will fail and I will die in vain, can I still believe God at that moment?
Jesus saw the glory set before him beyond His own immediate life. He died on a cross with his followers scattered and his ministry failed. Hebrews 12:2 says that he “endured the cross, scorning its shame” for the “joy set before Him!”
God help us to see the joy set before us so we can live like heroes!