15:48.

History belongs to the heroes.

And being heroes mean doing what is right, sticking to what you do and daring to break out of that routine when you know it's right to.

Thought of that when a pirated version of X-Men 3 played on the tour bus a few weeks back. I have a soft spot for X-Men, though the movie franchise ain't heaps to shout about and No. 3 was a project of deviation and hollywoodisation. When Wolverine stabbed Phoenix (whose movie character was a total inaccurate adaption of Marvel's), I think I teared a bit thinking about good versus evil and how you have to do the right things in life.

And then, reading stories like this and this remind me of heros, with however varying levels.

I love Marvel 'cause though they bend the black and white between evil and good, there remains at the same time a starkness between the two. Within those pages are a glorified rendition of the lives we lead, albeit without spandex, much leather (for most) and special powers.

In history, we have glorified heroes for countless reasons. Reasons good, bad, right, wrong are subjective to the generations' perceptions.

There was this little unusual story in a Marvel comic - or if you like, graphic novel - I read. Can't remember if it was in The Avengers, X-Men or Fantastic Four but it was of this guy, short, dumpy, balding, with a paunch and a white short-sleeved shirt and suspenders.

Every day, Mr Dumpy wakes up and go to work. Life is painfully ordinary yet he possesses a secret power not even himself realises.

As he walked out of his bedroom wishing his wife would clean the place up, in his trail the room becomes clean. As he gets caught in a traffic jam and wishes that there isn't one, it eases up, actually, it ceases to jam. And as he wishes that his path to work is the same today like it was yesterday, unknown to him, he had just saved the world from an alien invasion which was causing chaos spilling over to traffic jams and the stuff he wished away at a thought.

He had the power to make things happen at a thought and no one, not even him, knew about it.

Sometimes, heroes are the unlauded quiet dumpy, who don't get recognition or who don't realise their own talents. They change lives and in sequence, the world but no one cottons onto that and they themselves are sometimes just not aware of it, be in because of their blessed characters or naiviety or whatever we would call it.

The movie Troy had an opening line amounting to such a gist: "In history, men fight for glory so they can gain immortality".

What does it mean to be a hero?

I don't think it always means being remembered in history.

I think it just means doing the right thing, as best as you can, in the best way you know how and just having the faith to continue and having the faith in "right".

Who's a hero?

In the pages of the Almighty, we will learn the answers, not in the pages of history.

The apostle Paul wrote this in Galatians 2:6 when speaking about "false brothers":
"As for those who seemed to be important—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance—those men added nothing to my message."

And in Ephesians 6:8:
"The Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free"

1 Corinthians 10:31:
"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God"

Colossians 3:17:
"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Colossians 3:23:
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men"

So "whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ" (Philippians 1:27)

Ain't it better to be God's champion than a slave to the desires of men's hearts?

It's great being free to be everything I was meant to be.