MY HERO

1 Corinthians 1:25-31
25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. 26 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before Him. 30 It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."

Professional football quarterbacks have to be tough, physically and emotionally. One of the toughest was Jim Kelly, who passed for more than 35,000 yards and led the Buffalo Bills to four Super Bowls, enduring the disappointment of never winning a championship ring. But it's likely that people will remember Kelly's biggest victory being the remarks he made in Canton, Ohio, in August 2002 when he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Instead of basking in the fame and glory that was rightfully his, Kelly turned the spotlight on his son.

Five-year-old Hunter Kelly suffers from Krabbes disease, a rare degenerative disorder of the nervous system which has left him without motor skills. Kelly spoke of never being able to play catch or go camping with his son, yet feeling blessed by having a special-needs child. His one prayer has been that Hunter would live to see his dad enter the Hall of Fame.

At the end of his remarks, Jim Kelly turned toward his son and said: "It has been written throughout my career that toughness is my trademark. Well, the toughest person I've ever met in my life is my hero, my soldier, my son Hunter. I love you, buddy." And 17,000 people stood to applaud and cry.

Life has a way of rearranging our concepts of weakness and strength. And God definitely measures influence by His own unique scale.

Paul told the Corinthians: "Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him" (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).

In Christ, the weakest person of sincere faith is a hero in God's hall of fame. --Dave McCasland

DESTINATION POINTS

* What weakness have I often wished I did not possess?
* Why would God choose the foolish, weak, lowly, and despised to make Himself known in this world?
* What have I learned from Hunter Kelly, the apostle Paul, and Almighty God today?

LINKS:
http://www.krabbes.com
http://www.huntershope.org

My Dad, My Hero
http://www.christianitytoday.com/cl/9c6/9c6025.html

bottom line: Strong faith overcomes our weakness.

soul journey