The other day at our Men’s Shelter, one of our clients began choking on some food in the dining hall. He banged on the table until he got the attention of Phil. I changed the name because he wouldn’t want the attention. Phil ran over and immediately jumped into action. He stood the man up, wrapped his arms around him and jerked up on his torso. He was performing the Heimlich maneuver. After 3 or 4 times, the man began shaking his head up and down and the food came out. What happened next was what caught my attention. The man actually chewed up the food that he was choking on, sat down and Phil walked away. To you and me, and the man who was choking, Phil was a hero. He quite possibly saved the man’s life. But to Phil, it was just another day at the office.
Phil is just one example of the heroes that work at Faith Mission and Faith Refuge every day. They go about their days, saving lives as if it is just something you do. Of course, they don’t help choking victims every day, but they do provide life-giving love and compassion to those choking on homelessness, addiction, loneliness, suicidal thoughts and the list goes on. They listen to their stories and accept them where they are, but then they love them toward something different. They are committed, just like Phil was that day in the dining hall, to do whatever it takes to redeem a hopeless situation into victory. With the strength of Christ working through them, they go the distance to provide every resource available. In my book, that’s a hero.
But there is another group of heroes at our shelters that I see every day. I’m referring to our clients, especially the ones who take on the challenge to get help and do the work to get their lives back. And it is does involve work. Many of them make the same commitment Phil made, to do whatever it takes to change their situation. What makes them heroic, you might ask? Well, in a way, they are saving their own life. They commit to the pain of change and the hard work of putting old habits and thoughts behind them. They seek forgiveness from God and those they have hurt along the way. They humbly begin the process of restoring relationships.
As the saying goes, “Not all heroes wear capes.” To me, one of the most heroic things a person can do is to commit to changing lives, whether it is their own or someone else’s.
