Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa,
those women who work hard in the Lord.
—Romans 16:12
George Roche defined heroism as “an ‘extraordinary’ act of goodness, performed by an ‘ordinary’ person.”
We tend to put exceptionally talented people on the pedestal of super saints. But elevating gifted people to celebrity status in the church is misguided.
The apostle Paul closed his letter to the Colossians, naming eight people who had been partners in his ministry. With two or three exceptions, I doubt that you could tell me anything about them. They didn’t think they were doing anything ‘extraordinary’—but Paul did. Heroes.
In the last chapter of Romans, Paul rattles off the names of twenty-seven people. Most are mentioned nowhere else in the Bible—just ‘ordinary’ people who did ‘extraordinary’ things, mostly on the quiet. Heroes.
Though you consider yourself an ‘ordinary’ person, what you are doing is ‘extraordinary.’ Hello hero.
You don’t have to have a big name
to make a big difference.