The Super Hero In You

The flagship article of Real Men Defined is The Original Super Hero as it is displayed on the homepage.  Thus, as Jesus Christ is the Original Super Hero, it only makes sense that we each have a Super Hero inside of us…  Right?

Again, Jesus is a Super Hero, we have the Holy Spirit in us, thus we have a Super Hero in us.  I.e. We are (at least) part Super Hero…  Right?

I apologize if I’m being redundant here, but though I believe the logic is easy to follow, I question whether or not many of us actually believe that we are really part Super Hero.  After all, the world and the commercial media spend hundreds of billions of dollars each year convincing us that we are NOT good enough in our natural form.  “But, if you buy this new car / tv / boat / house / gym / cologne / grill / playstation / scotch / etc, you could be!”

The fact is, our Super Hero Strength doesn’t come from material possessions, it comes from our Faith.  And our Super Hero Powers don’t involve “threesomes with super models” and “multi-million dollar endorsement deals”.  They include the Power of Forgiveness, Sacrifice, Leadership, Loyalty, Perseverance, and a healthy dose of Righteous Anger along with an Intolerance for Injustice.

Yet, as noble as our “powers” sound, the world we live in does little to celebrate and reward them.  Which is ok, since Real Men don’t work to appease the world.  Instead, we work first and foremost to Glorify God by caring for our family, friends, and neighbors as though we were caring for ourselves…  (The Greatest Commandment)

With this said, the question now is:  “When are we going to start acting like the Super Heroes we are?”

Can you imagine if Doc Oct and the Green Goblin were running around town, raping and pillaging so to speak, and Spiderman just sat idly by?  Not because he was tied up, not because he was injured, but because  _______________ .  (Go ahead, fill in the blank with YOUR reason for inaction.)  I know many of you are thinking, “Well, when you phrase it like that, being tired / stressed / afraid / unsure / overtime / etc doesn’t really sound like as good of an excuse.”  And that’s because there is no good excuse.  If Spiderman said he was tired, you’d tell him to “buck up, dig deep, quit being a sissy and grow a pair!”  Likewise, if Spiderman said he was scared, you’d tell him to  “buck up, dig deep, quit being a sissy and grow a pair!”  Right?  I think you get the picture.  :)

Last, but not least, what if Spiderman said “I don’t really feel that God is calling me to fight against Doc Oct and the Green Goblin”?  What would you say to him then?

The reason I bring this up is because I hear this response more than any other when it comes to the question of “serving other people”.  Whether we’re visiting the VA Hospital, going on a Mission Trip, or Feeding the Homeless, there is always at least one person in the group who answers the call to action with “I’m not feeling called.”  SERIOUSLY?!?!?!!!!  Do you honestly believe that Jesus Christ, the King of Kings who humbled Himself and became a servant to all, who died on the Cross for YOUR SINS is seriously telling you “Don’t worry about helping these people, take the day off, you deserve it.”  Come on, now!  On top of that, since when did “being called” become a requirement for us to take action?  How many of us were called spend four hours watching TV last night?  Who can say they were “called by God” to masturbate?  But did that stop us?!

It’s time to face the facts:  Our families need us to be strong!  Our communities need us to lead!  Jesus Christ has not only given us the Power, He has given us the Playbook and He has called the Play!  Super Heroes don’t sit on the sidelines while evil is abound.  I understand that being a REAL Man isn’t always the most glamorous of positions, but without the fulfillment of this role, our communities fall apart.  If you’ve ever looked at our society and thought “what a mess”, the root cause is a severe lack of Super Heroes.

Think about it:  God gave you these Powers for a reason.  So buck up, dig deep, quit being a sissy and grow a pair.  There is a Super Hero in You and it’s time to start acting like it.