Nation Of Heroes

It was a dark gray morning. Sunrise was still yet to come, but there lurked in the gloom shadows big and small, muscular and lean, this was no ordinary gathering. 

As I finished watching an episode of Arrow, the thought came to mind how much like heroes every F3 brother is.  Let me explain. 

I was always a quiet kid, which may surprise some.  Due to family strife and the style of verbal communication that went on in my home, I didn’t have a very high opinion of myself as a child, teenager or even man.  So I dove into the fantasy world of superheroes. 

Fast forward to my forties and after much prodding, I finally posted at F3 Ascent in South Charlotte.  Around me loomed men, some in black chatting and asking about who I was, who had invited me, you know the story. 

Then I caught my first glimpse of the Nation of Heroes during my first workout.  I was obviously out of my league and I immediately felt like I had made a mistake posting.   But the men around me weren’t macho jocks; to my surprise they were all very humble, strong men who amazed me at their athleticism. 

I have been a brother in F3 now 18 months and I’ve seen amazing things that remind me so much of the comic book superheroes.  We even have one guy that really likes tights. 

Sure there are athletes in F3 that are truly amazing to watch run, lift, ruck, or any number of things, but while that initially was what inspired me; it was the inner man that soon became the inspiration.  

As I settled in on Saturdays I soon made friends who would be my Barnabas. 

Barnabas is a man mentioned in the Bible known for his encouragement.  This man is the kind of guy you know you’d love to hang around with and my new brothers certainly created the glue of Second F for me.

What amazed me about these guys was that both of them were in phenomenal shape.  One brother is older and one younger than me, but you never heard a word from them about how great there are, what they mean to others, you get it. 

The self-sacrifice of ego that I see evident in these men inspires me to push past my own hang-ups and also learn to be comfortable in my own skin. 

When I move from the local group of men I’ve bonded with and to my region, or even the city of Charlotte I really start to see how F3 really is a nation of heroes. 

Heroes sacrifice, they serve, and they divert attention away from themselves and on to those being served.  I hope that as we work to help those in our country hurting and in need, that we’ll be inspired by our favorite superheroes and get out there and do our part.   

Sounds to me like truth, justice and the American way!  Aye!