Humble Heroes

In our culture overflowing with reality shows and “videos gone viral,” it's easy to gain instant fame. There seems to be no end to the fascination with the spotlight, and many people will do almost any act, no matter how extreme, to attract public attention. But fame is fleeting, and the public has an extremely short memory.

I'm much more impressed with “humble heroes.” Humility is an admirable quality that is becoming increasingly difficult to find. It’s the attitude of a person who may have done a lot, but doesn't necessarily need to brag about it or call attention to themselves. In fact, they are not concerned with themselves. Their concern is directed to others.

I'd like to tell you about a few notable “humble heroes.” First there's Mary and John Ferraro from Fullerton, California. Mary found out she was carrying quintuplets and was advised by her doctor to do a fetal reduction. This is a common procedure in which several embryos are destroyed in order to assure the viability of the remaining embryos, and provide a safer pregnancy for the mother.

Mary comments: “We decided it was not our place to choose which of our babies would live and which ones would die. If God was giving us five babies, there was a reason. We made a decision to see them as a precious blessing from God above and not as burdens we needed to eliminate.”

I'm happy to report that one week ago, Mary delivered the quintuplets. Mother and all five babies are doing fine.

Then there is a British couple, Pam and Gerald Patterson. They have adopted four children with Down’s syndrome. While most of their friends and neighbors were supportive, some criticized them for adopting so many developmentally delayed children. “They thought we would be swamped by the challenge,” Pam explains. “But actually we've been swamped by the love. These kids have given us so much more than we have ever given them.”

The last humble hero I want to mention is Jim Caveziel. Most of you will recognize him as the actor who portrayed Jesus in “The Passion of the Christ.” What you probably don't know is that he and his wife have adopted two children from China with brain tumors. These children were considered unadoptable because of their illness and their life span is still in question.

Jim explains their decision: “That is what faith is to me; it's action. It's the one who does, and does without bringing attention to themselves.” Jim states, “Our children are the center of our lives. I can't imagine what life would be like without them.”

These humble heroes don't view themselves as extraordinary people, just ordinary people motivated by love. Their willingness to defend the week and helpless, and defend the cause of those who have no voice is inspirational. They are willing to extend themselves and live with the challenges and inconvenience of carrying for others that society might consider “expendable.”

Their lives remind me of another “humble hero:” Jesus Christ. What could be more humble than God in human flesh, coming to Earth as an ordinary person, living and then sacrificing His life on the cross in an act of ultimate love? (Philippians 2:5–8) He died for a human race that often still rejects Him, but He humbly persists in loving us anyway.

He encourages each one of us to accept His unconditional love and become a humble hero by sharing that love with others.

Come join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM. I am always happy to have my mentor and dear friend, Dr. Peter Wagner as a guest speaker. He will be speaking on “Humility.”

Pastor Che