Heroism

Imagine a person who would lead their people through tough, harsh conditions to take them into glory; they would fail many times, but in the end they would persevere, succeed, and save everyone. They would sacrifice anything for doing what's right -- even if it cost everything. Now imagine that's you. Doesn't seem right, does it? This explains why we need heroes. We ourselves can't save us. We need other people who know what is like to go through these situations. Heroes don't have to be strong or fast or have some superpower. They need keen perception, a sacrificial heart, and strong leadership skills. They should be willing and able to lead us out of the land of troubles and slavery and into the promised land.  

Thomas Edison, for example, is a hero. He is a hero in perseverance, as he once said, “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” His invention (the light bulb) did not work the first or the hundredth time, but his struggles did not hold him from victory. His invention helped improve the future for us. For instance: he helped improve movie making, music playing, and printing. Even though his failures pushed him back, it paved a new path of accomplishment. He also received many famous awards though his hardships, such as the Edward Longstreth Medal. The point often overlooked is that heroes are usually discouraged if they fail. If the rocket doesn't reach the moon, heroes don't give up until it does.

Another key point, is the fact that every hero needs to be a leader. Such as George Washington, his unending will to fight with justice to gain freedom is the fire that drives America. His experience would make untrained, unskilled average farmers into strong warriors. After that, he would take them into war and claim victory. A leader is the trustworthy general that we all need in our lives. They have a plan of success written on their hearts, and they will only do what's best for others (not for themselves). Some of the best leaders come from the Bible, such as Moses. He followed God's plan and saved generations of other leaders that would come, like Jesus, but one astounding trait Moses had was his undefined ownership. Most people would play the blame game, but Moses would speak for his and the Israelites' sins. Even though Moses might have not done anything, he always took ownership of other people's troubles. After all, nobody wants a leader crying wolf when it's their fault.

Given all these points, the last key trait to becoming a hero, in my eyes, is being sacrificial. One of the greatest sacrificing people in the world was Jesus. He died on the cross for our sins. Although he didn't “literally” save anyone from sin, he created a path for us to follow him, so that we could have eternal life. There are a ton of persevering leaders that sacrifice, but Jesus is the true Leader. He had no skills in fighting or any in education. In time, however, he somehow managed to save more people than all of our history’s presidents, doctors, police officers, and medicine. His word is a sword of truth that can pierce through any boulder of sin and lies. In this case, he died for us even though he didn't even sin once, and still took the blame. Even though one person made a small sacrifice, it made a big impact on the world. No one is a better hero than the one who forgives his enemies.

All in all, every hero needs to willingly sacrifice, determinedly persevere, and fearlessly lead. Although three traits doesn't seem like much, it’s actually impossibly hard to follow. But, remember that a hero can also be only good at one trait, it doesn't have to be all. Jesus is the only hero that matches all these traits. Given these points, that doesn't mean we should give up trying, but we must push harder. After all, no one is born a hero… but they are created into one.