Stepping out of your cave

Each of us has some image in our minds as to what a hero is. We may think of the fireman running into a burning building to rescue a child, or a soldier who finally comes home after serving several tours of duty. Perhaps even an elderly woman or man sitting beside the bed of their lifelong spouse whose Alzheimer's has caused them to forget where they are and whom it is sitting there.

Whatever the picture in our head is, you instantly know how to recognize a hero when you see one. But have we paused to wonder when does God see the hero?

In the story of Gideon we first meet this reluctant hero hiding in a cave beating wheat. He's in the cave because if he were outside his enemies would see what he was doing and take the food that he was working for perpetuating both his and his family's hunger. So instead of taking the chance to stand in the open, he's hiding in a cave.

It's here that an angel of the Lord comes to him with this greeting; "The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor."

This is a very strange greeting. After all, Gideon is hiding. A man of valor stands on the edge of a battlefield rallying his men to battle like in "Braveheart." Men of valor lead and say what needs to be said, no matter the consequences like Reagan who spoke "Tear down these walls" into the face of communism.

Gideon up to this point had done nothing, said nothing, been nowhere.

When we see a hero, we see what they have done. But God sees what we don't. He sees the hero he is making. Gideon becomes a hero who doesn't want to be, so when he turns out to be one he doesn't know what to do.

When we look at ourselves most often we see what we are not, where we have failed, and how we will never be as good as them. When God looks at us He sees whom He has formed and how in Christ he is remaking us. It is by our obedience to His calling that we are enabled to see what He saw all along.

God may be calling you to step out of your cave, to be remade in Christ, to be the next obedient hero.

Rob Hurtgen is a husband, father, minister and writer. Read more from him at robhurtgen.wordpress.com.