Sometimes the things you find on your Facebook news feed are just wild. This week I came across a video showing a woman jumping in front of a car in an attempt to block a child from being hit. It was harrowing to watch. Thankfully, although they were both seriously injured, the lady and the little boy are alive and recovering in a local hospital. The amazing thing is that this woman, Shanta Jordan, didn’t know the boy she saved but she put herself at risk in order to protect him.
Just your average hero
We often think of heroes as being extraordinary people. People who have trained and developed skills to make them extra brave, extra strong and extra amazing but this isn’t always the case. Last year Najih Shaker Al-Baldawi sacrificed his own life when he hugged a suicide bomber and took the major impact of the bomb that was detonated. Although people were still killed and injured in the blast his actions saved lives.
This week another terror attack has taken place in the UK. Three men, armed with knives, randomly attacking people on the streets of London, and yet in the face of danger, average people put themselves at risk in order to help others. A man distracting the attackers as they targeted a woman on the street. There was another person who rushed to the aid of the doorman who was fighting off an attack and the baker who tried to stop the violence using a food crate. Not to mention the police and medical personnel who put themselves at risk while caring for others.
What does it take to be an average, everyday hero? Would you be able to sacrifice yourself for people you don’t know?
The secret ingredient
After the recent bombing in Manchester, a homeless man who helped the victims denied that he was a hero for helping. He told reporters that he had only done what any decent human being would do.
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends – John 15:13
These are the words of Jesus telling us that the greatest display of love is seen when we sacrifice our own life for the sake of our friends. Putting others before your self. Paying the ultimate price for someone else’s safety. In a world where we often see self-preservation and self-interest taking precedence over serving and sacrifice, to be love in such a way makes a powerful statement.
Jesus asked us to love each other in the same way that He loves us. His greatest example of love was giving up His life to repair our relationship with God so that we could one day go to Heaven. His reward for this sacrifice wasn’t riches or fame, it was us. Jesus gave up His life so that we could have a relationship with Him.
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