A REAL HERO

Today, we hear lots about heroes in connection to soldiers in Iraq. And, in a sense, it is good. It trivializes it a bit because all soldiers are not heroes just by the nature of being soldiers. They are doing their jobs, it is what they have chosen. Being in a war zone does, in some measure automatically qualifies a person as a hero. I believe it. But, like in all situations, there is a degree of danger, of sacrifice, and even of commitment.

Without a long definition of hero, let's say there truly surfaces on occasion someone who does something so sacrificially that hero is truly applicable. The soldier who risks his own safety to take care of his fellow soldiers, a soldier who without thinking places himself in danger--God forbid, jumps on a granade; a soldier who in the course of fighting stands in the "breach" so to speak and dukes it out with the enemy. To call someone who does this in war, a hero, is not a hard thing to do: they are heroes.

But, there's another type of person who fits in a different category. Soldiers are at war, it is the environment. What about the person going about his daily business and suddenly is hit with a situation. Take for example Wesley Autrey, the father of two children who, while standing on a NY City subway platform, jumps onto the tracks and saves a person who has fallen. What made him do it? Is he a hero? What! We can psychobabble all we want too but without a doubt, we are talking hero. Was it his Navy training, some sort of inner wired system that make him different. I don't know but he's a hero.

Wesley's individual sermonette to us has to be, "would we do as Wesley did, without thinking? Are we inner directed enough?" Let's apply the Biblical story of the Good Samaritan? A man has been beaten by robbers. Jesus tells the story to teach a lesson. Those who happened on the man crossed to the other side, even the religious types. Finally a Good Samaritan in Jesus story stops, helps and figuratively calls 911 and gets him looked after. Good story. However, to make it applicable to us, what about this? We happen by the man when he is being assauted by the robbers. What would we do? Wesley Autrey would jump in and help. Would we? God bless Wesley, his selfless act inspires me.