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Topic: Heroes (03/08/04)
TITLE: Porcelain Man By KAREN FASIG 03/10/04 |
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Fine porcelain brings pleasure to the eye. The urge to touch it and feel the sleek beauty of its lines is irresistible. A delicate grasp and extreme care are used as the piece is lifted from its pedestal and examined for its flawless elegance.
Examination of every facet of the object is undertaken and soon what appeared perfect is exposed as flawed. A hairline fissure is discovered in the base. The destructive, spidery web of cracks weave their way up and down causing weakness in the structure. What wasn’t seen immediately now jumps out at the eye.
Disappointment sets in at the realization that this thing of beauty is damaged and not worthy of being placed on the pedestal upon which it sat. The same thing happens to
human heroes. They are placed on a pedestal because the world sees them as beautiful to the eye, or for some “thing” they accomplished.
The world has many reasons to worship someone as a hero, but upon close examination their hairline fissures become giant gorges that are insurmountable and doom them to fall from the pedestal people have placed them on.
Names abound throughout history of fallen heroes. Moses, Aaron, David, and even Solomon fell from the pedestal they were placed upon. Time hasn’t lessened the occurrence of fallen heroes, O. J. Simpson, Kobe Bryant, Martha Stewart, and Bill Clinton are just a few who come immediately to mind. All of them were made of porcelain. No matter what man creates, the core of it will always be corrupt.
There is only one who can stand upon a pedestal and never be taken down and that is Jesus Christ, but the world will do anything in its power to make sure that He is the last person that would ever be held up as a hero.
When Christ’s sinless life is held up as an example, ridicule follows. The voices decry cracks in His character. Accusations fly about His marital status, His sexual orientation and what the world sees as discrepancies in His Holy Word.
What they fail to see is that His hero status cannot be broken. Christ is not made of porcelain. In all of history never has one stood as Christ stands. His name can’t be defamed nor His glory denied. Never in history has anyone changed the face of the world as Christ has changed it. Time is even measured by His birth.
Women should herald him, as their knight in shining armor for, without His stand that all are equal in the sight of God, women would still be considered possessions instead of viable human beings. The poor should run to Him for His compassion on their plight.
The rich should model His attitudes of love and fairness to others. Every human being on this earth should practice His directive of “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” Matt 19:19 KJV. The marvelous thing about Christ as hero is that He became infamous for how He treated others not for what glory He could heap upon himself.
At one point someone called Him “The Good Master” and His replay came, “Why callest thou me good? None is good save one, that is God.” Luke 18:18 KJV. If humans could exhibit His true humility and concern for others, than heroes would no longer fall from their pedestals.
Someday, when our sin nature is banished from our bodies, we will be capable of being a hero in the image of Christ, but when that day finally comes, heroes will no longer be needed because we will be in the presence of the only hero ever to be born.
Karen L. Fasig
copyright 3/10/2004