Do you have a hero or a heroine in life?

Or, perhaps more importantly, do you have a role model?

And… do you know the difference?

Do you know the difference between a hero or a heroine and a role model

A hero or heroine is likely someone whom you have never met and yet you stand in amazement at the way that this amazing individual chose to live their one glorious life.

“Heroes may not be braver than anyone else. They’re just braver 5 minutes longer.” – Ronald Reagan

A hero or heroine is often someone from history… someone who seems bigger than life… someone of profound significance… or someone who made a virtuous and unwavering stand in the face of extreme difficulties.

A hero or heroine has shaped history by the choices that they made… by the influence, they exerted… or by the recognition they earned.

“Heroism is not only in the man, but also in the occasion.” – Calvin Coolidge 

The name of a hero or heroine is epic… recognizable… familiar… and usually well-known.

“The history of struggle is rich with stories of heroes and heroines – some of them leaders, some of them followers, all of them deserve to be remembered.” – Nelson Mandela

Perhaps Abraham Lincoln is a hero of yours… or Billy Graham… or Martin Luther King, Jr.

Maybe you consider Rosa Parks a heroine… or Mother Theresa… or Corrie ten Boom.

The history that we read about in books is the account of great men and great women… heroes and heroines… who stand yet today on the pedestal of notoriety. And then… there are role models.

The heroic cannot be the common, nor the common heroic.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson 

A role model, on the other hand, is often a common man or an ordinary woman whose impact has been narrow yet deep. A role model might live on your street or in your own home. Perhaps you went to school with a role model… dried dishes with a role model… or went for a walk with a role model.

You may have your role model’s picture on your family room wall or in your wallet. With a role model, you remember personal conversations and carry them in your heart. You can see the sparkle in the eyes of a role model… hear the cadence of their voice… and know the rhythm of their days.

A role model stands on a pedestal in no museum and in no town square… but just on the pedestal that is fixed in your heart.

“I think a role model is a mentor ~ someone you see on a daily basis, and you learn from them.” – Denzel Washington

A role model is simply a hero in the flesh. A role model is someone whom it has been an honor to know… to spend time with… to observe…to converse with… to emulate.

“Each person must live their life as a role model for others.” – Rose Parks 

When I interview guests on my podcast, we talk about role models in the flesh. I discuss with my guests the men and the women who have shaped their lives to become the person that they are today. Generally when I ask, “Who has been the most significant influence in your life”, they answer by simply saying…

My mom. 

My grandmother.

My fifth-grade teacher.

My pastor’s wife.

My dad.

My big brother.

They don’t exclaim over the big names… the celebrity references… or those of historical fame.

They say…

My pastor.

My best friend’s mom.

My aunt.

My neighbor.

This is what I want you to remember, my friend… 

Your face doesn’t have to appear on the cover of a magazine for you to leave a lasting and significant legacy.

Your name doesn’t have to be written in a college history book for you to be remembered in a meaningful way. If the network news never references your name … you can still be a man or a woman of eternal influence.

You simply have to live well… love hard… and encourage deeply.

You simply have to be kind… tell the truth… and serve others.

You simply must live your life as a man or woman of honor.

“He has shown you, O man, what is good;

And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justly,

To love mercy,

And to walk humbly with your God.” – Micah 6:8

Thanks for listening to my heart this week.  As you know by now, my heart is truly not a perfect heart but it is a heart that is filled to overflowing with gratitude for the life I have been given and for the people who walk with me.  And, it continues to be a heart that is relentlessly chasing after God and all that He is!