Imperfect heroes

This summer I've really been thinking a lot about heroes. I did the Priscilla Shirer study on Gideon with my neighbor, and our youth summer camp (which we call "Summer of Camp" because we stretch it over 6 weeks) theme was "Heroes", based on Judges 6:19: "Mighty hero, the LORD is with you!". I've prayed and thought and prayed some more, and really what God's shown me is that He uses pretty imperfect people to be heroes. I like that.

This morning, this: "And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens." Hebrews 11: 32-34 NKJV. 

Gideon was a fearful guy who ended up pretty prideful, setting the stage for the people to return to the very idolatry from which he'd delivered them. Barak refused to fight unless someone (a woman) came with him. Samson rage quit pretty much every situation and spent way too many nights with prostitutes. Jephthah made a foolish vow that cost his daughter her life. David murdered and committed adultery. Samuel was a lousy dad. Yet God used every one of them to accomplish heroic things, and every one of them is praised here near the end of the New Testament. God looks back at their lives and sees, not the imperfections, but the Impossibles they did in partnership with Him.

I figure if that's the way God does stuff, I've got a chance :-)  Guess what? So do you.

Jesus' death and resurrection "was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people." Hebrews 10:14, The Message. 

Rather than staying stuck in all your imperfections, believe that God loves you like crazy, that Jesus made you perfect, and that the Holy Spirit is working out all the details. God wants to write a hero story with YOU.