#083: What Does It Cost To Be A Hero?
As The Avengers: Age of Ultron tears up the box office this month, you can count on kids around the country to buy into the action figures, posters and costumes this year. It would seem that kids love heroes, no matter what their outfit. Jeff, DW and Jason are back with a fun conversation about what the real cost of being a hero entails. Hint: it’s more than this mask or this shirt. Listen in and join the TweetBack!
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The Notes
This week will mark 2 years since the Moore, Oklahoma EF5 tornado struck the city, obliterating Plaza Towers Elementary School taking the lives of 24 adults and children. Nearly 400 were injured. In the midst of the chaos, we saw plenty of heroes arise from the destruction. One of them, Anna Canaday, recalled her story to The Daily Beast:
She remembered that as the tornado bore down on this school in Moore, Okla., she and Simonds took the kids into the hall, among them her own daughter, 5-year-old Kali.
“I just grabbed as many kids as I could, eight of 10 kindergartners,” Canaday recalled.
Canaday took half the children and Simonds took the others. The teachers had them get down on their knees against the wall and cover their heads, just as they had often done in the school’s regular drills. The tornado roared ever near.
“We just held them and told them to keep their heads down,” Canaday remembered. “I kept telling them they were going to be just fine and God was going to take care of us. I prayed as loud as I could.”
The twister was right upon them in all its fury.
“When it hit it was so loud,” Canaday said. “I just kept telling the kids under me, ‘It’s going to be OK.’ I prayed aloud…‘Just take me instead because they’re the babies.’”
You don’t need to wear a cape to be a hero. But if you were to have some sort of costume, would you choose Superman?
Aside from the obvious need for Clark Kent to get a new shirt every time he became Superman, you also never saw him hang around long enough for people to shine the spotlight on him. When you do something heroic, be humble about it.
“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.” Matthew 6:1
It might seem like these 2 examples are contrary. Giving an interview sharing your story about your experience isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In Anna’s case, she inspires other teachers and community members to do their job with heart knowing what truly matters is caring for students.
