I Need a Hero

Last week, Aliyah and I watched Nim's Island, a movie about a girl, Nim, who lives on a remote island in the South Pacific with her father and animal friends. Though the only humans on the island, Nim and her father are in communication with the rest of the world through satellite internet.

One day the father, a marine biologist, sails off for a specimen gathering trip, but a storm prevents his return. After a couple of days Nim, frightened and lonely, e-mails her favorite adventure writer, Alex Rover, to come to the island to help her. Little does she know (fans of Stranger Than Fiction should appreciate that phrase) that Alex is actually a fiction writer suffering from agoraphobia, too scared to ever leave her house.

Anyway, Alex finally convinces herself to go to the girl's aid. As she faces one fear after another, she says to herself, "I can't be the hero of my own life story."  Nim, about the same, says the same thing, "I can't be the hero of my own life story."

***warning: spoilers ahead***

Alex finally reaches the island, still wondering how on earth she can help this girl. What happens next is a radical reversal of expected hero roles. Nim discovers Alex washed up on the beach and rescues her, bitterly disappointed in her hero.

Later, as they sadly watch the empty horizon, Alex feels completely helpless. She can not find Nim's father, nor can she assure her that everything will be ok. So finally she puts her arm around Nim and says, "I promise that, whatever happens, you will not be alone." She is Nim's hero simply through her gift of presence.

What does a hero look like?  Do we need to radically adjust our picture of a hero?

Jesus already did that, of course. What kind of a hero is poor, homeless, peace-loving, and faces suffering and death calmly, with open arms even? What kind of a hero brings new life to others simply through sharing a meal with them?

He is the hero of my life story as well as the model of how I can be a hero.

What is your hero call?