Heroes. Everyone should have one! I know, it’s best to look to the Bible for your heroes, but every once in a while, you will find a special someone who so emulates a hero or heroine of the Bible. I am blessed beyond belief that I have a real live heroine in my life.
For years I’ve told people that if you want to see what the Prov. 31 woman would look like in modern days, just take a look at my sister-in-law. My husband’s sister is truly amazing! What a wonderful woman of God she is. She starts her day off with prayer, praise and Bible Study. Tori’s first Christmas, she made Tori a Christmas Dress and Bonnet. Made it … by hand! She Homeschools her boys. She owns and runs Bed and Breakfast Cottages up in our local mountains and bakes all the sweet breads and such from scratch. She’s the best cook in the family. She mentors young mothers, and teaches Cubby’s at church. Anything she puts her mind to, she does!
Before you sit back and wish you were Vickie, let me share with you that God has “entrusted her with thorns in the flesh”. Her life is not perfect. She is struggling with things that I wouldn’t even begin to know how to handle. But even through her persistent and painful reminders of her own weakness, God shines even brighter through her.
It’s kind of like a lantern. When the glass in the lantern is brand new, it’s shiny and clear. But life happens and the lantern gets banged around and crackes appear. In some lanterns the glass breaks and falls out, while other lantern glass stays strong. Yes, it has cracks through it, but those cracks only further illuminate the light better. And the more cracks on the outside, the brighter the light shines through, sparkling off of each and every crack.
While Vickie’s lantern has lots of cracks, there is not one piece of glass missing! She still, even through all the cracks, she still loves the Lord her God with all her heart, all her mind and all her soul. That’s what I want for me. She’s my hero!