(a 3 minute read) An apartment complex is caught on fire, and crowds are beginning to gather. Christian with Haley and Jess, two young daughters, are among the crowd. No fire trucks, cops or ambulances have made it to the scene yet. You can clearly hear a call for help coming from within.

Christian, bent at the knees, kisses and squeezes the girls tightly, and as Christian stands, gazes into Jess and Haley’s eyes with a look of deep love and a sentence never uttered;
“I have to do this. I have to try and save them. Forgive me.”  Christian looks at the closest person, and without waiting for a reply says, “Please watch out for them.”

You can imagine the reaction of those in the crowd that watch Christian rush into the building. You can hear the murmurs; “Must be an off duty cop”. “A marine for sure”, “Look at the two young girls”, “This is crazy”, “Who would do such a thing”.

As you hear a fire truck in the distance, Christian emerges carrying a child and a young woman following.

Do you hear the cheers? Do you have chills crawling up your arms?

There was euphoria indescribable.

A local TV station makes it to the scene and people describe what they saw, calling Christian a hero.

The TV reporter interviews Christian;

“What is your profession?”

“I am an accountant”

“People are calling you a hero for what you’ve done”

“I believe anyone would have or should have done what I did. I am not a hero.”

“You are a hero and a humble person too”

Christian began to explain;

Sometimes we use the label ‘hero’ to describe an act that we wish we would do ourselves but know that probably we would not do. It absolves one from the duty we have as a human being. It is easy to say “Oh that’s a heroic act. I do not need to be a hero. Therefore, there is no prodding to carry out that act.” You used a good word ‘HUMBLE’. Humility is not in rejecting the label ‘hero’. HUMILITY is in the knowledge that the consideration of my life is not glorified. C.S. Lewis said it best; “True humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.”

Therefore, taking ‘me’ out of the equation, and placing the people in the building as the equation, the action becomes a duty a responsibility an obligation a calling if you may.

There is no heroic act really. It may hurt to hear this but necessary; you and I have to change from

“Look, Look, WOW this is heroic”

To

“Why didn’t I do that myself?”

Christian proceeded; I urge my brothers and sisters not to wait for a fire to see if they will do what we term a ‘heroic’ act. You and you and you have a chance to do a ‘heroic’ act every single day, multiple times.       JUST DO IT……………. It is mine and yours CALLING.   EVERYDAY.

One day, hopefully, the term ‘heroic’ or better yet the feeling the contemplation the consideration the thought of ‘this is heroic’ will not exist as it becomes a commonality.

Christian stared into the camera and said;

“Wouldn’t that be marvelous?”   As Christian continued to gaze into the camera;
“If you are thinking to yourself this is utopic this is dreamland this is too ideal, then you have already refused the consideration of you coming second!”

My Lord, may i humble myself in a true fashion. To accept that ‘me’ truly comes SECOND and THIRD. TRULY. i do not want to just say that ‘me’ does not come FIRST, i truly want You to teach me how to remove the consideration of me first from the equation of life. Guide me, teach me and open my eyes my loving Creator and Maker. Amen.