heroes

Dictionary.com provides us with a few helpful definitions of the word "hero":

1. a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.

2. the bread or roll used in making a hero sandwich.

John Piper has this to say about heroes:

"Each of us needs a hero to admire. And it's legitimate for these heroes or role models to be human beings. It's appropriate for us to model ourselves after our parents or teacher or the expert in our line of work, but only insofar as that person models the character of Jesus. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1 "Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ."

Just yesterday, a friend of mine had the unique opportunity to have lunch with Christian author Carolyn McCulley. It was a birthday surprise arranged for her by a close friend and they had a wonderful time sharing their lives with one another over Italian food. Nice combination, I must admit.

In the days preceding this lunch, there were questions thrown out like:

If you could sit and have lunch with anyone in the world, who would it be? Why this person? What would you ask them? Generally speaking, I don't like to go down the line of "what if" scenarios, but this was fun stuff. It got me thinking about my heroes.

While God warns us of the seriousness of idolatry, I do believe there can be wonderful fruit in having godly heroes; individuals whose faith and passion for the Savior spurred them on to follow hard after Christ despite the trials and sufferings they may have endured. I must admit that I love reading autobiographies and learning about the struggles and temptations an individual endured. I like seeing the flaws and weaknesses exposed in their own words and in the stories others tell about their lives.

It is sinful to put anyone on a pedestal. God is on the throne and He is jealous for our hearts to be fixed on Him. Yet at the same time, in His kindness and mercy and as part of His plan to grow us up, He puts people in our lives that imitate Him in such a way that we are compelled to follow their example.

So...who would I have lunch with if given some unique opportunity? My answer came quickly: John and Noel Piper. Since this hasn't been arranged yet....lol....I am grateful for the following interview with Noel Piper that is featured on the girltalk blog right here!