I can remember being asked, "who are your heroes?" That question always produces some pretty interesting answers and some pretty varied ones.. You'll get all kinds of stuff. You'll get sports heroes. You'll get military heroes. You'll get, characters from mythology. You'll get scriptural heroes. You'll get heroes from history, all kinds of heroes. And you can ask what the qualities are and you'll get all kinds of answers. Some heroes are worth the title; some, not so much. I
So who are the real heroes? In a world gone insane, I can think of nothing more heroic than a man who is willing to say, "okay, I'm in. I'll do it. I'll marry someone. I'll start a family. I'll miss sleep. I'll try to be patient. I'll teach my children. I'll honor my wife. I'll provide for them all, protect them all, watch them grow, help them through heartaches and challenges. I'll be disrespected. I'll be worshiped. I'll be tired. I'll be elated. I will suffer. I will pray, and I'll work myself to the bone for 50 or 60 years. I accept the responsibility to fill the world with love, beginning here and now."
What could possibly be more heroic than that?
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Podcast 61: True Heroes and Fathers
Hello, my friends. A few days ago we in the United States celebrated Father's Day. In case you wonder, we also have Mother's Day, so we do that too. And the moms usually get more chocolate than the dads do. But we celebrate fathers on Father's Day, and it caused me to think quite a lot when I was younger. I can remember being asked, "who are your heroes?" That question always produces some pretty interesting answers and some pretty varied ones.. You'll get all kinds of stuff. You'll get sports heroes. You'll get military heroes. You'll get, characters from mythology. You'll get scriptural heroes. You'll get heroes from history, all kinds of heroes. And you can ask what the qualities are and you'll get all kinds of answers. Some heroes are worth the title; some, not so much. I'll let you decide who the real ones are, but the real heroes are often distinguished by altruism and self-sacrifice by bravery, leadership, fearlessness, courage in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, patience, and long suffering compassion, you'll hear some described as "a gentle giant." (I have a couple of brothers like that. I'm the little guy.")
There's a song I love called, "Fill the World with Love," from the movie, "Goodbye Mr. Chips." If you haven't seen it, you ought to watch it. But the first verse goes like this:
In the morning of my life, I shall look to the sunrise
At a moment in my life when the world is new
And the blessing I shall ask is that God will grant me
To be brave and strong and true
And to fill the world with love my whole life through
When I was a little boy, in the morning of my life, I wanted to be brave and strong and true because I knew that my father was the bravest, strongest man in the world. Do you know how I knew that? My mom told me when I asked her. I asked if dad really was the strongest man in the world, and she said he was the bravest, strongest man in the world. He was kind to me. He played with me. And I knew that he loved me. My dad was my hero.
The second verse of the song says,
In the noontime of my life, I shall look to the sunshine
At a moment in my life when the sky is blue
And the blessing I shall ask shall remain unchanging
To be brave and strong and true
And to fill the world with love my whole life through
In the noontime of my life, I learned that my father might not actually be the strongest man in the world. I learned that he had faults, and I learned that he tried to overcome them. I learned that he was willing to work harder than just about anybody, if it meant providing for his family. I learned that he was scared sometimes, too. I knew that he loved me.
Instead of thinking less of him for his imperfections, I began to admire him even more. In the face of every kind of challenge, he persevered and tried again, making him brave and strong and true. He genuinely tried to fill the world with love his whole life through. My dad was still my hero.
The song continues,
In the evening of my life I shall look to the sunset
At a moment in my life when the night is due
And the question I shall ask, only God can answer
Was I brave and strong and true?
Did I fill the world with love my whole life through?
I'm happy to announce that right now is closer to the late afternoon of my life than the evening, so don't get any ideas. But I have more experience now than I did during the morning or the noon time of my life, to be sure. I have seen my father, and many others, endure hardship, fear, fatigue, and ridicule. I have seen them sacrifice their time, their money, and even their bodies in the service of their families, and of others. I have seen heroes all around me, sung and unsung, and my admiration for all of them individually has grown immensely. I have seen my father in myself. I have learned more about what is required to be brave and strong and true, and my dad will always be my hero.
So who are the real heroes? In a world gone insane, I can think of nothing more heroic than a man who is willing to say, "okay, I'm in. I'll do it. I'll marry someone. I'll start a family. I'll miss sleep. I'll try to be patient. I'll teach my children. I'll honor my wife. I'll provide for them all, protect them all, watch them grow, help them through heartaches and challenges. I'll be disrespected. I'll be worshiped. I'll be tired. I'll be elated. I will suffer. I will pray, and I'll work myself to the bone for 50 or 60 years. I accept the responsibility to fill the world with love, beginning here and now."
What could possibly be more heroic than that?
Happy Father's Day to my father, your father, those who may have been father figures to you, and all fathers who ask:
"Did I fill the world with love? Did I fill the world with love? Did I fill the world with love, my whole life through?"
We'll talk again soon.