Heroes Among Us

I was amused the other day to catch this story out of New York in the NZ Herald. After visiting a Beatles exhibition Mae Archie paused for her mom to snap a quick photo on the Abby Road looking street. When she later returned home and looked at the photo, she was flabbergasted to see that Sir Paul McCartney photobombed her – yes!! THE. PAUL. McCARTNEY!
He was right there, within feet of her, and she completely missed him!

Mae’s experience reminds me of the Luke 24 passage, when Jesus joined two of his disciples traveling along the road to Emmaus. For whatever reason, they failed to recognize Him. Later that night their “eyes were opened” as He shared the Lord’s Supper.

He was right there with them – but they did not recognize Him. A celebrity in their midst – the very Son of God – but they missed Him!

What is it that is so compelling about proximity to celebrities? Back in high school days, it was “cool” to attend rock concerts in person – Chicago, the Jackson Five, Grand Funk, Rolling Stones. What was even more awesome was getting as close to the stage as possible! I had 2^nd row seats to Three Dog Night @ Keil Auditorium March 20, 1971 (caught a drumstick tossed into the crowd at the conclusion!).

Close to heroes is cool!

Which is to say, don’t overlook the heroes you run with. Every runner has “a story.” Many cross the start line only after overcoming staggering limitations, health problems, financial issues, and numerous obstacles. Sometimes our buddies cross that final finish line, and in their absence, we reflect on what “cool” people they really were all along! Yes, 2020 was a hard year!

Look around at your next start. Don’t miss the hero runners among us! And don’t overlook the One who provides life, health, and yet, the ability to run