How do you imagine Moses? Long grey beard, longer grey hair, slightly stooped, moving at the speed of a teenage boy on his way to English Lit class, a roughly hewn staff in his grip? How about Esther? Regal robes, dripping with gold and precious gems, the slightest sheen on her beautiful olive skin, perfect posture and equally perfect coiffed hair, the most tasteful tiara --dignified and opulent but not overstated. What of Jacob? David? Daniel? Mary? Paul? These are some of the heroes of the Bible. Heroes we've never met; heroes whose images we develop from the information in the Scriptures and our own imaginations. But they really existed. They really faced the same types of trials and troubles we face. They really endured. Heroes really walked the earth.
As they do today. Just as those of old, today's heroes don't persist in and of their own capabilities. They do it for the glory of God. They labor with the tools they've been given. They serve eagerly, obediently, and completely. Take, for instance, this hero; I'll call her "Ellie." I attended a women's retreat with her many years ago. Because of a serious back injury, and in order for her to simply last the weekend, she had to take frequent breaks, in bed, surrounded by pillows and heating pads. She had, just a short time before we met, undergone two surgeries for cancer and had lost her mother to cancer as well. She spoke candidly about her circumstances, but they did not consume her; she had not abandoned her faith in God, but admitted there were days in which she struggled to worship. Nevertheless, there she was, toughing it out that she might know her Lord better.
Another hero I've met along the way I'll call Jeanne. She, too, suffers from back issues, issues that cause problems with her hips. She is stooped and walks --no, runs with a noticeable limp. She is one of the hardest working people I know, the glue that holds her supervisor's schedules together. Her supervisors, by the way, are pastors and church leadership; they say she is a tremendous encouragement to them!
There's "Leena" who came to Jesus during her time in prison, was released, and suffered a debilitating stroke shortly after. "Dina" who walks with a cane, has had multiple back surgeries, carries a small pharmacy with her, and worships like she has the energy of a ten-year-old! "Maddy" suffers from severe cognitive delays, but at the drop of a hat will tell you, as eloquently as enthusiastically, how good her Savior is! "Tara's" back injuries were so severe, she cannot stand to look anyone in the eye. She is bent as though picking something from the floor and looks at the world from the very tops of her eyes. She carries a small pillow under her arm as though it is part of her anatomy. And there's "Lori" who, in a year's time, suffered a lawsuit, sorrowed over the rape of her daughter, and received cancer diagnoses for her husband and her!
These are heroes because they are heroes of faith. Each and every one was seeking and/or serving the Lord when we met. Not a one grumbled or complained, but each was as honest about their situation as they were assured their Redeemer was with them in it. Heroes of the faith are not relegated to the past. They are not necessarily the people who have very public platforms or can fill arenas. They are the people whose lives are typical and burdensome, uncertain and mundane, who keep going because they know their Savior awaits them at the Finish Line --a finish line they cannot see, but they know it's there in all its glory at the end of this race.
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