Hero

I've been recently stuck in the soul-sucking distraction that is TV lately, specifically, the show Angel. My husband drew me into it after his work buddies drew him into it. And I've never been a Buffy fan, and have steered clear of fiction that played around with depicting the demonic in a good light - but this character of Angel pulled me into that world without much effort at all. Why? Because he reminded me of my husband. That dark-eyed Irishman with a big heart and a deep soul reflected the core of who my husband is in a lot of ways to me. A guy with a dark past getting past his demons to become who he's meant to be for others, a sad ballad man who can also pull out zingers that will leave you laughing for long minutes and smiling for hours. Intimidating until you get to know him and see how much he's willing to give for his friends and family, he's the guy who could lose control but is unwilling to let himself go there. Not to forget, not too hard to look at either. :) But mostly - he's a hero, who is growing, sacrificing who he is to be someone better, doing what it takes to do what is right and to help anyone he can.

My husband wasn't always this man - in fact, he's only begun to be the hero I know God has called and purposed him to be. I suppose that's why I can really appreciate that quality coming out in him now. A striking recognition of this fact hit me the other day when I had a tire blow out on my way to work. I called my husband, who was already en route to his very busy day at work, and his first words were a tender and urgent, "I'll be right there", without any moan of annoyance or frustration about the situation. He immediately turned around and was willing to blow off his whole important work day to come to my rescue. You might think, "well, yeah, isn't that what a husband is supposed to do?" and yeah, maybe it is - but it was heroic to me. It was a 100% selfless act where he took charge to make sure I was safe and sound as soon as possible, and maybe that's what husbands are when they do that - heroes, even if it's just to their own families. Maybe that what wives are when they are there for their husbands, maybe that's what parents are when they protect and care for their kids - heroes. So my husband took off the flat, put on the temp spare for me, and followed me at 15 miles an hour down the shoulder of the highway for miles to get to a repair shop. He was tired and very dirty by the time he eventually got to work, and he didn't get done there what he needed to that day, but he proved what was more important to him, and that meant the world to me.

Anyway, if you can avoid TV - do! But if you happen to get sucked into a show like Angel, it's good to remember that any everyday believer is an ambassador for Christ, the King of all Creation, in this world, and we are His hands, hearts, ears, and mouth to reach out to this dying world - we can all be heroes in His name to someone in need. We have the power, because Jesus does, and even as flawed human beings we can still be His instruments to bring His light into someone's life.