Some people pray to the saints in heaven, insisting that they can push buttons for God's divine interventions that we cannot.
Some people wear sports jerseys with the name and number of a professional athlete, or body fragrance marketed under the name of a beautiful Hollywood star.
Some people spend big bucks on front row tickets at live concert venues, giddily delighted when the energetic performer's sweat (or spit, eeeuww!) splashes onto them.
Some people follow a political big shot and change their own Facebook profile picture to an image of that person's face.
Some people call this hero worship.
There is certainly delight in admiring excellence, joining fan clubs or collecting autographs. There is also the danger of secondhand living.
It looks like this: My life is so mundane, average, or even worthless, that I need to identify with a superstar. I could never do what they do, but I feel accomplished if I can live in their shadow. I'm a somebody if everybody knows that I'm much more closely associated with a hero than the average person. I feel accomplished. Valued.
So the real danger of hero worship isn't just that we make infallible celebrities out of people who are just as flawed as we are. More than that, we allow them to convince us that we're nobodies.
We could never do what they do. The bar is set way too high. So we sit in the stands as spectators. We chat with our friends about the batting average or Grammy nomination of our favorite star.
And once in a while, the media reports a story about a "real hero," an average suburban soccer mom reaches out to a disadvantaged family or typical small-town teen who rescues a dog. Ah, we're getting closer. Almost there, but not quite yet.
The Bible records the faith stories of all kinds of people we'd call heroes, and actually lists a bunch of them in Hebrews 11. Not to worship or pray to them. Not to attach ourselves to in order to become somebodies.
The Bible presents heroes because they're on our team. We're not spectators, we're in the game. Just like they are.
We're on stage performing, sweating our own sweat not someone else's. We're leading and influencing people, swaying others' opinions by our witnessing. We're achieving success, conquering adversity, and angels in heaven cheer for us.
Be more confident that God has a place for you in the script and a position for you in the game. A starring role, actually. Live your life as you. Identify as a uniquely gifted and empowered individual, personally loved by the Father, saved by Jesus and set apart by the Spirit.
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded … we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved. (Hebrews 10:35,39)
With faith in Jesus, you follow him and find confidence. You put on the cape because others around you are doing the same. You belong. You have value and identity. You take a bigger leap of faith instead of shrinking into the shadows. And your statistics or profile become just as meaningful as the admired celebrity's.
PRAYER: I often feel like a nobody, God. I call it humility but in my heart I know it is closer to despair, self-pity, and the result of comparing myself to others who are much better. You, Father God, didn't call me to this when you claimed me as your child. You, Jesus my Savior, didn't save me for this. You, Holy Spirit, aren't breathing life into my soul so that it fizzles flatly like a deflated balloon, but you are blowing on the embers of a fire ready to ignite, to crackle and roar and set the world ablaze. God, you made me for more than secondhand living, more than spectating as I observe heroes. You make me to be a hero. Give me greater confidence to have faith in your promises of the impossible. Draw me out from the shadows, from the back of the crowd, from comfortable living as a nobody and help me make more of a difference. Amen.
FURTHER MEDITATION: Now you're ready to enjoy the Bible's presentation of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11:1-31. Read it and rejoice in God's work through average people like you. By faith (not by their own personal prowess) these folks acted as agents of God. Take tomorrow and the weekend to keep your Bible open on the coffee table and spend some moments getting lost in this list of heroes. Rejoice in them, but don't be a spectator simply cheering for a game. Join them. Identify with them. Don't become them or pray to them. Step into action by their side. Take note of their faith and Christian character. Choose two or three of them whose confident faith leads you to be more confident in your faith. Pray about it. Talk to a friend about it. And get ready for a new week.
Daron Lindemann
