We Could Be Heroes

I may not have mentioned this, but I topped off the festivities of Chris and Louise's wedding by watching Lord of The Rings: The Return Of The King (again) when I returned to the house where I was staying last weekend. I know, I'm a geek, but that's not exactly news is it?

Anyway, for a fantasy tale, the film contains moments of profound insight and inspiration which echo and expose the 'real' world. I was especially struck by the scene where Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin have returned to the Shire after their long adventure. Bearing in mind that Aragorn insists that these four 'bow to no-one' in honour of their efforts to save Middle Earth, the four hobbits sit virtually anonymous in their local pub, with the world going on around them, blissfully unaware of the heroes in their midst and the sacrifices they have made for others.

I commented to Mark that I'm becoming more convinced that the real heroes in this world are the unsung heroes. Our culture makes heroes and idols out of pop groups, movie stars, reality television contestants and generally any one who stands up on a platform in public.

But on a day like today we must recognise how shallow that is.

Surely the real heroes are those who work tirelessly behind the scenes for what they believe. Whether those figures are the security and police who worked without praise to stop thousands being killed in terorrist attacks today, the medical teams who save lives day in day out in cash strapped hospitals, or those who give their time to help the hurt and the needy wherever they may be.

We need heroes. We could be heroes. We just need to choose to follow a path of selflessness rather than choosing what's easy and benefits ourselves first and foremost.

The path that my Saviour chose.