What is a Hero?
When I was thinking about what to write for the devotional this week, the Holy Spirit led me to share what I wrote as an essay for a scholarship I recently applied to. The topic of the scholarship was to define what we believed a “hero” is, and how we could become “heroes”. When writing this essay, I felt so much conviction that I had to share this response with others. As a result, this week’s devotional will look different. It is deeply personal and sheds light on part of my testimony of how I came to discover the goodness of Christ. In the hopes that you read this document in its entirety, I pray that you too begin to reflect back on your personal testimony of how you came to Christ. Peace be with all who read this response. <3🕊️💜
My Background:
During the first year of my time as an undergrad at Agnes Scott College, I met many women who had aspirations of changing the world. My peers wanted to engage in issues that pertained to Social Justice, Sustainability, and Equality. I observed how these problems negatively impacted our country. At that time in my life, I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of my purpose. I knew I was different, I didn’t want to just attend classes every day and let my years at college pass before my eyes. Instead, I wanted to know what my purpose was and gain a deeper relationship with God. I wanted to know my creator and discover my purpose, not only on my college campus but in life. Additionally, I longed to find a group of friends who were devoted to serving God. It was by meeting a bold group of women on campus that defined how I characterized a hero.
What and Who is a Hero?
How I define a hero is by one who is not afraid to do what is right despite the opposition they encounter from others. At my college, there was a Christian organization on campus called Selah. The term Selah originates in the New Testament and describes Jesus Christ as being the foundation or the Rock of the church (Matthew 16:18-20). The members of the org faced great opposition from others around them because of their beliefs and how they held firm to their faith. These young ladies graciously prayed for anyone who requested prayer. They held weekly Bible studies that taught the core beliefs of the Christian faith. And they boldly proclaimed evidence for their faith to anyone who inquired about Christianity (1 Peter 3:15). Truly I wanted to be like these women because they modeled that steadfast faith the Bible describes in 1 Corinthians 15:58.
How Selah Shaped my Life:
After joining Selah in the Fall of 2019, my relationship with God deepened. I no longer read the Bible to fulfill a daily quota, but I read the Word to understand the nature of my Father in Heaven and to receive His wisdom. I loved being in a community of women whose main focus was to serve the Lord and inform others about His goodness. After becoming so engaged with the organization I applied and was accepted to serve as the treasurer during my sophomore year. This role allowed me to manage the organization’s funds, create budgets for future events, and allocate money for upcoming semesters. Now that I am a Senior, I’ve held this role for three years. My time in Selah has enabled me to gain a deeper understanding of the Word of God. While also establishing a deep sister-like bond with the members, we love to coin ourselves the Selah Sisters in Christ. Just like those women I observed during my Freshman year of college, I too became a devout servant of Christ.
How I became a Hero:
As a graduating Senior, I have seen how Father God shaped my time in college. This May I will be graduating with a degree in Public Health with the aspiration of going into the Medical Field to become a Physician’s Assistant. By doing so, I believe God is calling me into this area of work to invite His presence into a clinical space to heal people afflicted with health ailments and to share the Gospel with these souls. My relationship with God filters into every aspect of my life, not just the Spiritual. Furthermore, God’s presence also appears to be abundant in other areas, like my social life. I had many encounters with my fellow peers where I had the opportunity to pray for others and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. One encounter that I will never forget, is the conversation that I had with a peer pertaining to her faith. She stated how she found occult practices interesting and even considers herself to be a Buddhist practicing African Spirituality. Her demeanor was bubbly and infectious and I could sense something different about her. Under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, I shared with her who Jesus was and what His purpose is for everyone’s life, specifically hers. She smiled from ear to ear and mentioned that until now no one explained the Gospel in a way she could understand. At that moment I knew what my calling and purpose were. I do not believe I am meant to be in a pulpit and deliver a Sunday sermon, but I am called to share the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with peers and those around me who do not know Him.
Becoming a Hero for Someone Else:
Understanding my purpose in Christ has enlightened me on how the Holy Spirit works through those who believe in Him. In the example of ministering to my peer who was involved with occult practices, I recognized the Lord speaks and acts through Saints to redirect souls back to Him. More recently, I had peers ask me questions like “what is the Holy Trinity?” and “what does John 3:16 mean?”. All of these questions were out of the blue. I knew God gave my peers divine inspiration to ask me these questions. After asking the Holy Spirit to come into the conversation, their questions were answered. We addressed the distinct purpose of all the God Heads within the Trinity, and how each Deity within the Trinity makes up who God is (Gen 1:26-28) (John 1:14) (Isaiah 11:2), in the next question, we addressed the term “love” in John 3:16 which translates to Agape which describes Father God’s unconditional love toward His creation. Each one of these spontaneous encounters shows how we believers are called to move past our comfort zone and invite the presence of God so He may address His creation. I was able to be a hero to my peers by allowing the Holy Spirit to give me the spiritual gift, the Word of Knowledge (1 Corinthians 12:8) to share the Gospel with those around me.
Conclusion:
In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus tells His disciples to “go out and make disciples out of every nation”. Although we are not living in ancient biblical times, I believe these principles still apply to our lives today. As I reflect back to that girl I was as a First Year in college, I see how God has molded my life. My future ambitions are to incorporate my faith into my clinical career. Nevertheless, how I defined the term hero has deepened. Being a hero is selfless work. It’s not just doing what is right despite the opposition we encounter but it’s constantly putting other needs before your own. In the case of the Holy Spirit ministering to my peers, I could have easily avoided the conversation and not answered their questions nor informed them about the Gospel. By doing so, it would have impacted their chance to hear the truth about Father God’s Word and even witness the very presence of God in their lives. Heroes are not people with superhuman strength or who realize their power is within themselves. No, I’ve come to discover that real heroes are people who realize that their strength lies within God “who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20).