Whenever I encounter anyone in a uniform–paramedic, police officer, fireman, military, etc. I will take the opportunity to thank them for their service. I’m the guy who prefers to run away from gunfire or a burning building, but those brave men and women run straight toward danger.
John 15:13 reads, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
In my opinion, anyone willing to put his or her life at risk in order to provide a service to our community deserves to be treated with the utmost respect. I don’t care how much they are paid–when asked to confront a homicidal maniac or go out into horrible weather conditions to assist an accident victim, they go to work and do the job most of us don’t have the courage or stomach to perform. All too often these people are vilified and targeted by the very people they serve for doing what the community has asked them to do, and yet they continue to do their jobs to the best of their abilities.
On the other hand, service professionals do at least receive a paycheck. The Bible talks about laying down your life for your friends, but what about putting yourself at risk for a total stranger? What if the person you’re trying to save has a different skin color, one you’ve been taught not to trust and maybe even to hate? Only one word can describe a person who would run full speed at a vicious dog mauling a neighbor without hesitation, not even long enough to pick up something to use as a weapon in self defense, and the word is “hero.”
But even then, that word seems sort of inadequate to describe the courage of Grant Brown when he saved six-year-old neighbor Mason Lindeman from an unprovoked pit-bull attack. The dog had taken the young boy down to the ground and was chewing on his head when Brown raced at them until the dog was distracted and began to chase the teen. Brown suffered a few minor injuries, but saved his young neighbor from very serious injury and possibly even death.
Some Christians wear bracelets with “WWJD” printed on them, meaning “What Would Jesus Do?”
Exactly what Grant Brown did. It’s an even more apropos descriptor than hero: Christ-like.
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