You are saved by God’s grace because of your faith. This salvation is God’s gift. It’s not something you possessed. It’s not something you did that you can be proud of. Instead, we are God’s accomplishment, created in Christ Jesus to do good things. God planned for these good things to be the way that we live our lives. Ephesians 2:8-10

Earlier this week, in need of a little reality-avoiding entertainment, Rebekah and I nuked a couple of bags of Orville Redenbacher’s best popcorn, fluffed the pillows on the couch, and rented The Avengers: Infinity War.

We both enjoy comic book characters, and special effects have now come far enough to adequately represent SpiderMan, the Hulk, Black Widow, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and their friends – but without losing the comic book vibe. Plus we appreciate the layers of meaning in such stories. It’s quite possible to sit back and simply enjoy the action, the fun, and the spectacle, but – if you want – there are deeper themes at play, of freedom, self-determinism, good versus evil, and the complex tensions inside each of the characters.

I was intrigued this time at how much tenderness, and compassion, and desire for the welfare of all people was resident at the root (though well hidden) of the most brutal and consummately evil character in the story – believing that any means would justify the terrible end he was fighting to achieve.

You Can Be a SuperHero!

But that is all by way of introduction. My main interest in today’s post is the idea of superheroes and superpowers. I have a question: What superpower would you have if you were writing a superhero script for your own life?

But before you answer, here is my caveat. No super-speed, no monumental strength, no flying, no invisibility, no stepping in and out of time.  This has to be an extension of some quality we already possess. So look at yourself, see where you are already gifted, and extrapolate from there.

• The extension of your gifts as a problem-solver, your generosity, or your natural compassion magnified to the nth degree.
• What about your gift of teaching amplified beyond what you had imagined possible, your enthusiasm elevated to new levels?
• Imagine your love of people and desire to share real peace and joy translated into invitations to join God’s family essentially impossible to resist.
• Consider an extension of your healing hands as a doctor, your inventiveness as an engineer, your skills as a cook, your creativity as a musician.
• I’m talking about your green-thumb in the garden, your facility as a carpenter, your ability to fix anything and everything that’s not working right.
• It’s about elevating your hospitality, your gregariousness, and how you make everyone you meet feel welcome and included.
• Or being a great friend – taken to the next level, or your love magnified, your light shining so bright?

I believe that absolutely everything that we are, and most especially the natural inclinations and abilities God has equipped us to employ, can be raised to superhero levels of reach and effectiveness when we align our hearts and our wills and our day-to-day practice of living with the intention and the power of the Holy Spirit.

I believe that God intends to use each one of us to… at… and beyond capacity when it comes to living as authentic witnesses to light and love and grace and promise.

My superpower is my relationship with God. My superhero name is “Disciple.” And my responsibility is to live each day as if God were making his case through me…. And God is.

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” – 2 Corinthians 5:11-20