(Editor's Note: Today's Guest Writer is Parker Kathleen May)
I remember at some point when I was a kid, a teacher asked me who I looked up to. I’m pretty sure almost everyone has been asked that at some point in their life. And although to some people it can be simple, it is a pretty loaded question. We want to make sure that we pick the right type of person to look up to.
Of course, little boys tend to look up to classic comic book superheroes, and little girls like to imitate the many different Disney princesses. Around the time they become teenagers, the focus tends to shift to the actors and actresses of Hollywood for either the roles they play or how they conduct themselves in public. Others like to admire politicians for a certain stance that they hold, or they choose to admire someone they know, like their parents.
Either way, people become focused on finding somebody who can be a positive role model in their lives and start fixating on that person. The more they tend to focus on them, the more they try to be like them. We put our heroes on a pedestal believing they can do no wrong, but eventually, we get a quick reminder that this is not true.
The expression “Never meet your heroes” come to mind meaning that if you meet the people you hold in high regard they will not live up to your expectations. In today’s world, we do not even need to meet our heroes to know if they did something unethical. With modern technology, news travels fast, and if someone does anything wrong, everybody knows about it instantly.
It is usually crushing to find out when someone we look up to falters. I hate it when I find out that an actor or actress I admire takes a stance against the Bible or plays a type of character I never thought they would. It just serves as a reminder that man is faulty, no matter who they are. Consequently, we need to be careful who we choose to revere.
The first thing that we need to do is realize that, with man, there is no such thing as a perfect person. As it is written in Romans 3:10, “There is none righteous, no, not one.” Since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, mankind has been enslaved to its sinful nature. Because of that nature, we are susceptible to sin. It is easy to take notice of the faults in the people around us, but we tend to turn a blind eye when it comes to our heroes. This verse specifies that there is none righteous, and that includes any and all people that we look up to.
The second thing we need to do is make sure we pick the right people to emulate. First Corinthians 15:33 states, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” While the verse refers to the company that people should keep, the same principle can be applied to our heroes. If we choose someone who goes against our beliefs, we are tempted to forsake our own ways due to blind loyalty. People tend to worship their heroes, and if they take a certain stance on something, we tend to follow them even if it goes against what is morally right. People should place their heroes under a microscope and make sure that that hero will be someone to help further their faith and not hinder it.
The third thing we need to do is remember that the best person to look up to is Jesus. While some people turn out to be the ones we should definitely not admire, others can be good role models, but their mistakes start to become more noticeable the older we get. No one is immune to the curse that is sin, except for Jesus (1 John 3:5). Psalm 118:8 says, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” While man will let us down, Jesus never will, and He is the ultimate goal of who we should look up to and who we should strive to be.
A big part of our lives is who we try to model ourselves after, which is a big reason to be careful in who you choose to be your hero. While humans do like to look at people who are physically here, the perfect role model is one you can’t see but can read about in the Bible. We know that God uses us to do his work, so make sure to pick a hero who can help you accomplish that task.
