Say Your Prayers and Eat Your Vitamins

I was once told the way you could tell you were growing old was simple. It was when you got the newspaper and started reading the obituaries instead of the comics. This past week several famous people have died. It has been amazing to see how the world responds to these deaths.

I received a message from a friend after the death of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan.  The message caught me off guard, but the transparency was eye opening.  His message said, “It sounds ridiculous, but Hulk Hogan was one of my larger than life heroes when I was a little kid. He body slammed Andre the Giant… he must be the strongest guy ever! But even the strongest lose to Father Time. The guy named Hulk told me to say my prayers and eat my vitamins. We need more influences like that these days. RIP HULK.”

I’ve read this message numerous times this week because it opened my eyes to an important fact.  Everyone is looking for a role model growing up and if nobody is there to provide one, the world will.   Many young boys and girls grow up in search of someone they can look up to in life. A pop music star, an athlete, an actor/actress come to mind.  But for some children growing up, those people were the ONLY real role models they could grasp.  When life was difficult at home, then young people looked for a different world to escape reality.

Don’t get me wrong, every one of us has a childhood hero. The famous athlete or singer poster was in our room growing up and we often pretended being that person.  But for many people, there were no closer to real life role models as they grew up. The lack of mentorship left many people grasping for whoever or whatever they could find.
 
In my life, my brother has always been my hero. He set the bar very high for me growing up and still to this day, I don’t know of a better man. But not everyone grows up in that type of family. The importance of mentoring and encouraging today is unmistakable.  Not only for pouring into children and young people but adults to adults.  Because many adults never had that Christian foundation they needed growing up.  More than ever we must realize that as Christians one of our greatest callings is to sharpen one another.  We do not become role models for applause but rather to point others to Jesus Christ.

It was once said it takes a village to raise a child.  That saying took off and still resonates with many today.  The main problem I have with that quote is that not everyone in the village is pointing that child to Christ.  I believe it takes a Church to raise up others. As we go forward may we become encouragers and mentors to those God places in our path.  And don’t forget to say your prayers and eat your vitamins.

 “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” I Thessalonians 5:11.