You are a Superhero
Okay, so I may not run into phone booths wearing a button-up shirt and glasses which I tear off to expose my spandex suit and cape, but I have super-powers. I’m not able to leap tall buildings or lift a school bus with one hand, but I am extraordinary. And so are you.
I love superhero movies. When “The Incredibles” was released on DVD in 2004, I bought it and watched it about five times the first month. In the film, a family of five has unique powers which make them different from the rest of the world. They try to hide their super-powers and fit in with “normal” people. But when a villain threatens to bring about world destruction, the family must reach deep and use their superpowers to stop him.
Wondering why the movie was so compelling to me, I realized that it touched on something with which we believers struggle. In many ways, we are like the Incredibles. For us who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, we have the greatest power in the universe – the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead at work IN US (Ephesians 1:18-22). Yet often we go into hiding, trying to fit in with the world around us. Much of the time, we are more like chameleons than conquerors.
When I watch a superhero movie or read great books like "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, it tugs at my spirit – the part of me that is called out to be courageous, to save lives, to leave a God-sized mark on this world.
In 2006, I wrote a song called “Superhero.” In the chorus I ask God, “Can I be a superhero? Can I be something great? Can I be a superhero? Can I save the day? When life gets dangerous, and the enemies are creepin’ around, Can I be a superhero?” Having a quiet time with the Lord recently, He reminded me of that song. Listening to the lyrics, I realized the Lord has answered that question with a resounding “YES!”
I exercise my super-powers every time I share my testimony, speak the Good News of Jesus, encourage a wounded woman, train adults to protect children from sexual abuse, teach my children about the goodness of God… And you exercise your super-powers too every time you boldly obey God and use the spiritual gifts He has given to you to build up the body of Christ.
Too often, we forget that we have super-powers. We forget that we are the called-out ones (1 Peter 2:9). You are no ordinary woman – YOU ARE A SUPERHERO. Together, let’s live like superheroes. There are real enemies, there is real danger, there are people in need of a hero. With our faith in Jesus – the ultimate Super-hero – with the power of the Holy Spirit, and wielding His Word that is living and active, let us do God’s work together.
Unlike some superheroes in the movies, we are stronger together. 1 Corinthians 12 gives us the great image of the body of Christ, composed of many different parts, all with different gifts, different functions, and different results of our individual assignments. But we all have the same Spirit, we worship the same Jesus, and we need every part of the body. So let’s not only be superheroes, let’s be a team of superheroes. The world is in desperate need, there is a real Enemy who seeks to destroy the world and everyone in it. There are people in our lives who need to be saved from Him and his minions. So let us together put on the full armor of God and take our stand as sisters, as superheroes (Ephesians 6:10-19).
