There’s been a lot of talk of heroes over the past few years.
On screen, we’ve seen a surge of costumed warriors being sold as such.
The best I can tell, a hero now is simply someone who wins the day with violence.
But it seems to me the word is meant for something more.
And in New Tazewell, Tennessee earlier this month, someone earned the title along with their cape and boots.
Ladies and Gentleman, at the end of a most villainous year, I give you a true hero.
On the evening of December 8th, Chris and Nicole Davidson tucked in their three kids.
As reported by CNN, all were asleep by 8:30 p.m.
During the night, Nicole awoke to the smell of something on fire.
She was horrified to find the bedroom of her 22-month-old daughter, Erin, engulfed.
Chris recalled to CNN:
“The smoke and fire was so thick, there was no way I could get to her.”
Mom and dad grabbed 2-year-old Elijah and 7-year-old Eli and took them into the yard.
Dad attempted a rescue of Erin from outside, but he couldn’t gain access:
“We went outside to get to her from the window, but there was nothing for me to stand on to reach up there.”
Then he had a very family-oriented idea.
“[I] picked up Eli, who went through the window and was able to grab her from her crib.”
The 7-year-old literally saved his baby sister’s life.
He was afraid, but he faced the danger in order to help the one he loved:
“I thought I couldn’t do it, but then I said, ‘I got her, Dad.’ I was scared, but I didn’t want my sister to die.”
If that isn’t a hero, I don’t know what is.
By the time the fire department arrived, the house was fully in flames.
“We lost everything that we have ever had,” Chris said.
Everything, except what matters most.
And it’s all thanks to a hero living among us.
But his position makes sense: It appears to run in the family.
Chris and Nicole — both former firefighters — have fostered 34 children.
Eli is one of them.
Both Erin and Elijah are adopted.
They’ve made a home of rescue, and a fire couldn’t destroy that.
And thanks to a little boy, the flames couldn’t take their baby.
In the news each day, we see things heralded and things condemned. And frankly, a lot of it doesn’t mean very much.
But life is everything. Love is all. Survival is supreme. And sacrifice is heavenly.
In Tennessee this month — just as in the Christmas story — a baby, a sacrifice, and a little bit of heaven touched the earth.