Growing up in a western country, I’ve seen my fair share of superhero movies. They’re all pretty similar in plot, but we keep going back to watch them again and again, because who doesn’t like a good hero? And who doesn’t like being a hero?

Over the course of my time in Nepal, one topic kept popping up again and again in our discussions: how do we help so that it doesn’t hurt the people we help? So many initiatives struck up by well-meaning people end up causing more damage to the communities they aim to help, and at some point we really have to wonder, who are we doing it for?

The fact is, heroes are terrible things in real life because they stop people from relying on themselves. They save people from sticky situations but ultimately disempower them in the long run. And let’s face it, no human being has the stamina to be a hero forever.

The good news is, we don’t need to be heroes to help people, because we’ve all already been saved by Jesus Christ Himself. If we left the saving to Him and worked on the little works that we’re capable of that point people towards the gospel, how much better off would both parties be?