"True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost."
Arthur Ashe
With the quote above in mind, I ask again; Do you want to be a hero?
In May of 2014 I wrote a post about Batman and Alfred called Who's the Real Hero?. I brought up the point that there would have never been a Batman in the story without Alfred. Alfred is just as much a hero as Batman yet there is nothing remarkable about Alfred. Alfred didn't have a fancy suit, weapons, or training to fight. Alfred was just a butler who had an undying commitment to serve one man no matter what.
Lately I've been getting into tv shows about super heroes and one theme seems to be repeated across all stories: you can't be a hero alone.
In Arrow you see Oliver Queen starts alone but slowly realizes his need for help. He gradually starts bringing people into the fold until suddenly he has an entire team working together to save the city. Who is more of a hero Oliver Queen or Felicity Smoak?
In Flash you have a super powered speedster but even he needs a team of people around him to help him succeed. He has Caitlin, Cisco, and Detective Joe West as well as many others. In one episode he even brings in the Arrow to help him face his greatest enemy. Each one of these people is a hero.
Sometimes our quest to be a hero makes us think we have to stand out or do this on our own. But true heroism is about service, it's about working as a team to make a difference and often it's about lifting someone else up. This is of course a Biblical concept as well.
Paul talks about us as the Body of Christ. We are all a part of one body and it is only when we work together as one body that we truly make a difference in this world. It is only when we walk in unity that we can bring about his mission on this earth. This is how we become a hero.
