The traffic was snarling. Drivers’ tempers were running hot, and I was daydreaming about my morning coffee. It was proving a particularly slow start to the day when, amongst the cars and trucks, I spotted a flash of high-visibility clothing. ‘What’s going on now!?!’ I thought, the frustration building.

Someone had broken down at the traffic lights, and a lone workman in high-vis was preparing to push the stranded car through the intersection, saving the traveller and hopefully getting traffic moving again. ‘What a helpful bloke,’ I thought to myself, but then realised, ‘he’s going to need a hand!’

I clumsily half-parked my VY Commodore on the median strip, punched the hazard lights button, and left the safety of the car to start weaving my way between vehicle bumpers. I felt out of place on foot amongst the traffic, trying to ignore the glares of frustrated motorists. Our high-vis hero wasn’t perturbed in the slightest.

He already had the lifeless hatchback in a slow roll by the time I reached the rear of the vehicle. He glanced thankfully in my direction, gave some instructions to the distressed woman in the driver’s seat, and together we pushed that car through the intersection while the traffic waited on all four sides.

With the broken-down car safely parked, the driver began to express her appreciation, but our high-vis hero was already gone. A good deed done for this lady, he was off to shoulder more responsibilities, to his work colleagues, his company, his family if he had one. I didn’t get a chance to ask him, or even thank him myself, but I sometimes think about the high-vis hero I briefly helped that day.

Not all heroes wear capes. Mostly, they’re just everyday people, and sometimes, they wear high-vis workwear. Author, speaker, and theologian Douglas Wilson eloquently explains it this way: ‘Masculinity is the glad assumption of sacrificial responsibility.’

If you’re reading this, you’re on the way to making a positive difference in the world by showing up and accepting responsibility. Keep at it – please don’t give up! Our world needs more men demonstrating sacrificial responsibility, especially through their actions. After all, as our high-vis hero demonstrated, actions speak way louder than words.

Lovework

As we approach International Men’s Day on November 19, take some time to think about the heroes and positive male role models in your life. It could be a father or grandfather, a friend, or a random workman pushing a broken-down car in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Make sure you thank and appreciate them for the positive value they bring to your life and the lives of others.

Yours for heroes,
Nathaniel Marsh

PS: Join with us in celebrating International Men’s Day on November 19 – find out more here!

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Photo: Darren M. Baker/BigStock