Hamburgers, Hot Dogs... and Heroes (Romans 12:10)
Today’s Passage: Romans 12:10
It’s Memorial Day! Growing up in my home town that meant some very specific things.
I grew up in Eastern Long Island, the Hamptons. Back then, there were still quite a few potato fields, and we were not quite so connected to New York City as we are today.
Memorial Day was the start of the 100 Day Dash. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, 100 days, the little hamlets and villages of Eastern Long Island swelled with tourists and traffic…and trade. It was during those 100 days that many an enterprise made its money.
So Memorial Day weekend in many ways was analogous to the starter’s pistol signaling that after all the preparation it was time to “go” to “run".
The start of the race was often marked with parades and BBQ’s. Hot dogs and hamburgers were plentiful. Folks from the city would race down and jump into the Atlantic Ocean, while the locals mostly watched them immediately jump back out (it would be many weeks before the Atlantic would warm up enough from the summer sun to be suitable for swimming).
Yet there was one other marker of Memorial Day. It was the somber service at the local park, the location which was home to the Marker, the Memorial, of those who had given their lives in service to the country. If you were in scouts you were there. At a young age most of us were reporting for duty as we were instructed. It has only been years later that I realize the adults chose to attend.
It was often at the end of a parade, in an effort to get more of a crowd. However, regardless of the number attending, there were people who delayed the BBQ long enough to pay tribute to the heroes.
We need heroes. Real life heroes.
Memorial Day is a day to remember the heroes you did not know, and the ones you do.
Who are your heroes? Who do you look to for inspiration? Who, even though you know they are full of flaws, you think, “If I could finish the way they finished, it would be amazing.” In this age of self-realization, I think we need to look back to our heroes.
I can think of some who have gone to eternity, and some still living. People I knew/know in the flesh, complete with human flaws, that if I could be half the man or woman they were, I would consider I had done well.
Who are your heroes?
It is why Jesus is so important. (I expect some of you are groaning now…of course “he” brings up Jesus). But seriously, this bit about him being “fully man // fully human” is a big deal. And us looking to Jesus as our model should be real. Let’s not be put off that we should not aspire to be like Jesus.
He believes we can be. Seriously, when Jesus calls you to follow, He is literally saying He believes you can be like Him.
Some of my heroes are people very close to me, people who inspire me, challenge me, and want me to be the best I can be.