My two year old asked me to help him take off all his clothes one afternoon. I asked him why and he replied, “I want to be a naked superhero!”
Oh, my boys. They have three boxes of super hero costumes in all shapes and colors. From red capes, to police officer badges. Firefighter helmets to light sabers. Black masks to cowboy leathers. Those boxes are filled with all kind of superhero.
They run through the house and across the yard to save the day, chase the bad guy. They punch through a wall, leap over mountains, and fly at the speed of light. They overcome obstacles with miraculous strength and stealth.
But their superhero tactics also peak some of my greatest fears as mommy.
You see, I am overwhelmed at the thought of any of my sons getting hurt. I’ve never broken a bone in my life, so my sons potentially feeling that crackling pain that I have only seen on TV or in books, moves me to dive at them if they fall. Or yell at them to stop when they wrestle. Anger and heat wells up in my gut if anybody teases or threatens them. I try to prevent any amount of damage to their physical bodies, their emotions, or their souls. And the thought of that damage being irreparable is a nightmare that haunts me. Ultimately, I am desperate to control the danger that screams LOSS. I don’t want to lose my sons. I don’t want them to lose. Anything.
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8
Yet, God has another way. God is perfect supernatural love. He gave my sons plenty of examples in the bible of how to be a superhero. My boys are like their Heavenly Father, the Hero of the world, when they imitate Him. When they choose humility, or the hard, but brave, choice. When they persevere. When they are kind.
Genesis 1:27
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
God created my sons to be superheroes. He guides them with life experiences. He teaches them with His Word. He equips them with His Holy Spirit. And He gave them me, their mother. To feed their souls as well as their bodies. To nurture and encourage them in their innate (God-given) superhero qualities. God wants me to teach my sons to follow their fearless, loving leader. Jesus.
God sees and knows my paranoid heart. And He comforts me with the truth. The truth is I can trust Him. God, the superhero of the world. He loves. even me. I must relinquish my boys to the One who gave His own Son to save mine. To save me. I can release my boys to freely grow up in this unpredictable world with God as their shield.
I’ve got to let them experience hurt, disappointment, failure and maybe even loss. And when the pain and loss comes? As it inevitably will. I will call out to the Superhero of the world, Jesus. To come. And He will.
Each time Jesus said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 1Corinthians 12:9-10
To read more about how the Superhero of the World came to save you, read THIS.
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