Profile of a Hero

We hear the word "hero" thrown around a lot today. But what is a hero? I think we have lost the meaning of the word today.

A hero is someone who does something selfless and sacrificial. A hero is someone who puts the needs of others above himself or herself. I think in our culture, we have a lot of celebrities but very few heroes.

Sometimes we don’t know who the real heroes are until much later. Sometimes they hold a position before it is popular or do something before it is fully understood. But with the passing of time, we come to regard them as heroes.

In contrast to a hero who may get the recognition they deserve, an unsung hero rarely does. They are the people who work behind the scenes, the ones who do a lot of the heavy lifting but are rarely rewarded for it.

The Bible is filled with unsung heroes. A classic one that comes to mind is Andrew. When Andrew began to follow Jesus, the first thing he did was find his brother and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (John 1:41).

Andrew was one of those guys who had a dominant big brother, Simon Peter. He was the guy who would always lead others. So very easily Andrew could have said, "You know, I am not even going to tell him about this. I want Jesus to myself." But Andrew went out and found his brother.

In fact, it seems that whenever we read about Andrew, he is bringing someone to Jesus. Andrew was always working behind the scenes.

Andrew is a model for all Christians. There is no end to what can be accomplished if, instead of worrying about accolades, we are willing to just get the job done, to do things for God’s glory.