Heroes

“Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.” (Alma 48:17)

A while back, I had a chance meeting with an old bishop of mine as I was visiting my hometown. He invited me to his home and we visited for an afternoon about past memories. I realized at the time how grateful I was for him and his family. His sons influenced my life in a very positive way... they are a few of my many heroes.

His son Matt was a few years older than me. I remember once at school, a fight broke out. A circle quickly formed around the two boys, with the crowd egging them on, chanting "Fight! Fight! Fight". It was like something right out out the movies. Then, something interesting happened. Matt walked into the middle of the circle with a big smile on his face. He walked up to the boys and put his arms around both of them and begin talking to them. I don't know what he said, but the the crowd dispersed and the boys left in peace. Matt was cool. In the large ward and larger school that we attended, it meant that he never really interacted with me much, but when he did, he treated me like I was cool too. I remember once Matt gave me a ride home after a church youth activity. When I got home I wrote in my journal, liking him to Capitain Moroni from the Book of Mormon. I said that if everybody at school was like Matt, then it would be a perfect place. I wanted to be more like Matt. Matt is one of my heroes.

Matt's younger brother Jerod was a bit younger than me, but I also looked up to him. I remember one night I was at a park playing games with a large group of people. Jerod was there. As the night came to an end, one of the drivers in the group realized that they didn't have their keys. We had been playing "sardines" throughout a very large park, and it was late, extremely dark, and we were living in an era before everybody had cellphones with flashlights. Jerod called everybody together, and offered a prayer asking Heavenly Father for help in finding the keys so that everybody could get home safely and on time. Of course within about a minute, the keys were found. What impressed me the most, is that as everybody was heading back to the cars, he called everybody together again, and said a prayer of thanks. Jerod was cool. I wanted to be like Jerod. Jerod is one of my heroes.

I think that many times we look at "Heroes" as having unattainable qualities, but I think it is important to find heroes in the everyday people around us. So many people in my life emulate Christlike characteristics that I wish to have myself.

I have a blogger friend who loves the gospel. He loves it so much that he can't talk about anything else. He didn't put his candle back under a bushel after he returned home from his full-time mission, but he continues to be a missionary everyday. I want to be more like him. He is my hero.

My son has recently left on a two year full-time mission for our church in Mexico. He knew that he didn't know the language, but that would be an obstacle to overcome. He was concerned that he didn't know all of the answers that people may have to gospel questions, but he knew enough to share his testimony. He knew that he was leaving a great life behind, and that he may be returning home to a very different situation. I could see that it was tearing him up inside, but I could also see that he knew that Heavenly Father wanted him to go. He chose to put the Lord first in his life. He always will. That's just the kind of man he is. I want to be more like him in almost every aspect of my life. My son is my hero.

My son's best friend has a way of making any situation feel comfortable. She can walk into a room and make everybody feel important and noticed. You can almost physically feel the light of Christ flowing from her to those around her. I want to be more like her. She is my hero.

My daughter is one of the most level headed people I know. She keeps her priorities straight and, more than anything, she always wants to do what's right. She is pure and innocent. She doesn't have a speck of malice within her. I want to be like my daughter.  She is my Hero.

Jesus Christ is my ultimate hero. He is perfect, and He has shown us the way to be perfect too. One can sometimes feel that it is impossible to be like him, but when we try to emulate the Christlike qualities that we see in the people around us, then we can become more and more like Him.

The gospel is all about change. I can change. I can be more like my heroes. Who is your hero? Change to be like them.