Finding Your Hero

I must first apologize. I usually try to update this blog daily, but work and kids activities have kept me pretty busy. I know, it's an excuse, but all I can do is try to be more on top of this blog.

Today I write with a certain individual on my mind. I will not name this person, but this person is someone who is struggling a bit right now. I hate to see my loved one's struggle, so I hope this will help this person out.

Mariah Carey had a number one song in the 90's called "Hero". I know that Mariah Carey bothers a lot of people, but I personally love her music, especially her ballads. Her song, "Hero" was a song that I used quite a bit when I would do L.U.G. (Living Unit Group) as I interned with Youth For Christ.

In the song, Mariah sings:

There's a hero
If you look inside your heart
You don't have to be afraid
Of what you are

There's an answer
If you reach into your soul
And the sorrow that you know
Will melt away

And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive

So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you

I have always latched on to these lyrics because I believe they are powerful. I believe they apply in good times and bad, but I always seem to refer to them in bad times.

My interpretation of these lyrics is that we constantly under estimate our own strength. We give up when the going gets tough because it is the easy thing to do. We fall in a rut and don't think that we have the power to push through. We want other people to pull us through the tough times, when in fact, most times we don't need them. We give up on ourselves. We quit.

I wish I had a dollar for every time that Heather and I get asked, "How do you guys do it?", when people hear the history of our tragedies and medical issues. We have gotten to a point where we laugh at this question because....well, what choice do we have? Heather and I had to dig deep early on and find the heroes within ourselves so that we could pull through when the times get tough. Sure, we had our moments when we just got fed up and wished for a different life, but those are not the cards that we were dealt. I spent numerous times in the past, questioning God. Asking God, what did I do to deserve this punishment? Why are you making my family sick and having us go through such difficulties? I questioned my faith. I questioned my God. I was ready to vacate God because God had done me no favors.

But i stuck with God and I'm glad I did because God did me one favor and opened my eyes. God made me realize that the obstacles that were placed in front of me and my family were not for punishment purposes. That is not how God works. God made me realize that the obstacles placed in front of me were for the soul purpose of watching me overcome and be victorious. God wants us all to be champions and live like champions. God does not want us to be average and live average lifestyles. God wants us to push ourselves to maximize our potential to the fullest.

God has blessed each and everyone of us with the inner strength to fight through the toughest of times, but you have to find that strength within yourself. It is there. Trust in your God given abilities. Sometimes this means that you will have to stand alone, but if you have a strong belief in what your standing up for, you won't be standing alone for very long.

We are all different and that is what makes life beautiful. We all have our different struggles and challenges, but one thing we all have is inner strength.

There's a hero.....if you look inside your heart.

So to the person on my mind this morning...dig deep buddy. You'll find your answers. To everyone else reading, I'll tell you where to find your hero. Walk away from the computer and look into a mirror. I guarantee your hero will be staring right back at you.