Once again, Marvel releases another “superhero movie packed with action, fiery explosions, biologically altered villains, and seemingly-complex heroes ready to save New York City-because for some reason that particular city is always prone to being destroyed. Within the past 14 years or so there has been this wide spread trend among Hollywood producers, directors, and writers to recreate the stories from classic comic books on the big screen. Each year there is bound to be another superhero blockbuster to come to a theater near you.
With
Great Responsibility, blah, blah, blah
With
each new film that I watch I ponder upon the characteristics and traits that
mold the protagonists into heroes. It usually begins with some inhuman super
power that distinguishes them from the average Joe but more importantly gives
them the power to defeat the evil, supernatural forces that wreck havoc on the
general populace. With these new powers, the hero steps up and defend the
defenseless innocents because they have the ability to do so. To quote Uncle
Ben, “With great power comes great responsibility.” This idea reflects a
fundamental virtue of the Enlightenment which stated that those who had the
ability to help, the influence to make a difference for the good, and the power
to make change, also had the inherent responsibility to do so.
I
believe as Christians our faith gives us a “superpower” of sorts. My personal
relationship with God, my faith on what cannot be seen, and my hope that God’s
way holds possibilities for the future has empowered me to continually become a
better person than what I was yesterday. With this faith has come a desire
to be as Christ-like as possible-as well as having the patience to know that I
am not perfect and this transformation is not going to happen overnight. Yet,
these on-screen superheroes have me reflecting upon my responsibility as a
Christian and if I have been doing my “superpower” justice. Heroes save
lives, they give hope, and they heal. There traits are manifested within the
life and ministry of Jesus Christ in real history. Christ’s love, faith, hope
and connection with God the Father allowed him to harness this power and
influence a generation. So can we hope to do the same and are we expected to do
the same?
I’m
Not Ready for This
It’s
hard not to be overwhelmed by this overpowering sense of responsibility to touch
and influence all the souls around you, wherever you go. We are to go out and
“make fishers of men,” are we not? From where I stand today I know that I have
not directly saved anyone’s soul nor have I turned someone away from the “path
of darkness” to a righteous one; perhaps I have drawn others closer as they have
for me but nothing powerfully transformative. In fact, I know more so how I have
hurt others, broken hearts, and have remained passive, being too uncomfortable
to speak up. It feels as if I have shirked the responsibility that has been
bestowed upon me by faith. If I possess the guidance of the Holy Spirit
shouldn’t I be doing more? At the end of the day I am just so inadequate; I can
see how inadequate I am.
Like
most families, my family is not a homogeneous one. My family is comprised of
people from all over the country, people who live in the country, some who live
in the city, we are short, tall, old, young, Christian, non-Christian,
spiritual, or nothing at all. My family members are the few people on this Earth
that I care most about and I can’t reach out to them, can’t show them the truth,
or even talk much about it. Perhaps I miss many opportunities to strike up a
conversation, or I’m too afraid that I’ll say the wrong thing, or that they’ll
contradict me and suddenly their point trumps mine. This is more of a personal
set-back but I know many can relate. After all, each hero has their
weakness-even Christ. He loved humanity so much that it was his one downfall; it
sent him to his grave. However, God promises us that we are more than our
sufferings and can rise above. Even death is not the end of our influence and
power in this world as Christ’s resurrection demonstrates.
Perhaps
as I grow older and in these coming years God will transform my soul even
further and whet the powers of my faith to become stronger so that I can reach
out to my family one day, even if it is just one person. Our heroes in the
movies, though they possess a superhuman power, still thrust themselves into
rigorous training and work hard to become even stronger. The life of a Christian
shouldn’t be much different. Paul urges us to continually renew our minds in
Romans 12 and to be diligent in Hebrews 6, so that we maintain our hope and
influence in the world. It’s a great responsibility but I’m not suggesting that
you drop everything, sell all your possessions, and move to a hovel in some
destitute place. You are needed wherever you are.
I
am suggesting that you find ways to better yourself and to grow your faith.
Prayer, reading the scripture, finding commentaries and engaging with
them, and seeking out mentors are great ways to start your “superhero training.”
I pray that you are never complacent and never satisfied with knowing
“enough.” There is always more to discover and more to be learned. The life
of a follower of Christ is one of mystery for there are no fixed answers that
can be acquired through the knowledge of simple facts. I hope that you are
okay with not always having an answer because having no answer just means that
you are making more room for Christ’s power to fill you up and make you
whole. Let your pondering and wondering be an invitation to God.
Prepared
for Tomorrow
It’s
true that we were commissioned with “making fishers of men” but we must also
keep in mind that Jesus gave this command to his apostles. These were men who
had been with Christ for years, learning from him continuously, and training
under his very present and watchful eye. They were extremely prepared for the
responsibility of such a commandment. I pray that one day I am also better
prepared for such a commandment and I pray for you as well. However, that day
may not be today or tomorrow. It’s a long continuous process to come to such a
point. Much like the heroes on our TV screens we will be able to save some but
not all because we’re not God, we’re not Christ, and we’re not the Holy Spirit.
We are stewards and not responsible for saving every soul that we come in
contact with. In fact, we can really only hope to influence those we are in
close relationship with. So focus on those few people close to you. They are
just as important as people half a world away.
When
I begin to stress about my adequacy as a follower of Christ I just remember the
greatest commands that Christ gave us in Matthew 22: 37-39, “’Love the Lord
your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This
is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your
neighbor as yourself.” To love the people around me, that is my
responsibility as a Christian. This is what my “superpower” has prepared me to
do and I am secure in knowing that I can do that. I can be sure that this in
particular does my faith justice. Besides, the world can always use
just a little more love.
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