Imperfect Heroes

She was a woman of the night, an immoral outcast.

Living on the very edge of society, she welcomed men into her home and her bed who had no right to be there.

Though she grew up worshiping idols, she heard the whispers of a God who caused mysterious plagues, a God who opened the Red Sea for Israel and then closed it upon Israel's enemies.

Somewhere in the days before she would be called upon to serve Him, she chose to believe in Him.

Two men appeared at her door. She knew they were spies, knew they were the enemy of her king.

In faith, believing that God who sent them was the one true God, she hid them in stalks of flax. Under the cover of darkness, she helped them escape.

Their escape culminated in the destruction of Jericho; a victory for the Lord and His people. Because of her obedience, she and her family were saved.

Later she would marry Salmon and give birth to Boaz, an ancestor of Jesus Christ. (Matthew 1:5)

Rahab, a hero of our faith.

"By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient." (Hebrews 11:31)

She was a woman of God, strong in her faith.

The wife of Abraham, she gave up everything to follow her husband, led by God to a land they did not know.

Devastated by the heartache and prejudice of barrenness, desperate for an heir, she led her maidservant into her husband's bed.

Filled with jealousy, she treated with disdain the woman who now carried her husband's child.

She laughed at the angel of the Lord when she overheard him tell Abraham that, at around eighty-nine years old, she would bear her first child one year later. Hearing her laugh, God asked Abraham why.

Fearful, she lied to God, "I did not laugh." (Genesis 18:15)

One year later she gave birth to a son, Isaac, an ancestor of Jesus Christ. (Matthew 1:2)

Sarah, a hero of our faith.

"By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised." (Hebrews 11:11)

Rahab, a prostitute who grew up worshiping idols. Sarah, a woman who walked away from the life she knew to follow her husband and God.

Two women, two different backgrounds.

Rahab, a woman of mistakes, follows God's leading and acts in obedience though it could have cost her her life.

Sarah, a woman who made mistakes, follows God's leading and acts in obedience though she struggled to believe He would provide.

Both women chosen to be in the bloodline of Jesus Christ, who died so our mistakes could be forgiven.

We don't have to be perfect. The sins of our past and the sins of our present don't make us unworthy of God's love.

Imperfect and flawed as we are, our obedience to our Lord and Savior can make any of us heroes of the faith.