There Goes My Hero

Jesus. The name means a lot of things to a lot of people. In some people it inspires hope; in some it resounds joy; some people hear it and are filled with courage; some grow grave at the profound nature of the name.
Jesus. He is a lot of things. He is mighty God, Son of God, Lamb of God, Redeemer of Israel; the Holy One, the anointed One, the exalted One, the only One; He is the Prince and the King, He is the Servant and the Master, He is the Warrior and the Savior.
Jesus. He is: my Hero.
Jesus is my "Lord and Savior." I believe that with all of my heart. But one of the things I like most about Jesus is that He is also my Hero. Because in being the Hero, I understand that He rescued me from peril of certain death. In being the Hero, I understand that He sacrificed Himself to save the many. In being the Hero, I understand that He is the role-model, giving purpose to lives that wish to follow Him.
I love the first couple of verses or so of Hebrews 12. I love that we can have the strength to keep on running the race if we "fix our eyes on Jesus." Jesus didn't just buy our salvation, He continues it by giving us the strength needed to have a sustained faith. He gives us purpose in life. He gives us hope.
I ask people sometimes, "I wonder how people live their lives without Jesus." It really does amaze me. When I'm confused, or sad, or lonely, or weak, or even if I feel I've messed up, I can go straight to Jesus, and He never fails to comfort, strengthen, and guide me. How do other people live without Him? I'll never understand that. But I do hope that I myself will always seek to love Him and grow close to Him, because He's my Hero. And I want to be just like Him.