You're My Hero...

When I was growing up, I used to love watching the TV show "The Greatest American Hero". I thought the story was funny and the show was nice to watch. The premise is that a teacher is given a super-hero suit to wear but loses the instruction manual for it. So throughout the series, you see him trying to do stuff in thesuit and having a heck of a time figuring it out. His biggest issue was with flying and could never really get the hang of it. During the show he would crash land at least 3 or 4 times because he couldn't figure it out.

This show was not only funny, it was real. The guy was just a teacher, no one special. He got the suit from aliens... The reason I bring this up, is because yesterday, I talked to a Sunday school class about choosing your hero or role models and looking at Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday is the recognition of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on a donkey. An entry that labeled him a hero to the people. The coats, the palms and the donkey were all signs of royalty or a place of reverence. At that point, he was on top of the world. Adored by hundreds and thousands, but only a few short days later those people would turn on him. From hero to victim in a short amount of time.

When we look at our hero's today, we normally think of a sports start or a rock star or someone very important that we see on TV. We put these people on the highest of pedestals, to just have them fall or get knocked down because of something they said or did or they just fade away. Very few people who are lifted up (ie Michael Jordan, Brett Favre, etc) live up to their name. As Christians, we need to realize who our hero's are and determine if they are showing us the God lifestyle. When dealing with teenagers, this is especially important. They more than anyone else can easily get caught up in the hype of role models.

As adults and leaders of teens/children, we need to help make sure they understand what a true role model is. Like the people of Jerusalem, we can get caught up in the hype, only to have it turn around in a short period of time. Jesus knew first hand the people he was dealing with, he even predicted most of what would happen. During this week, we need to be thankful for the Hero that is Jesus Christ and the ultimate sacrifice he did.