Superheroes

I saw Avengers: Infinity war last week. Awesome movie. Don't worry, I'm not going to post any spoilers here or write a review on something most of you have already seen. What I wanted to talk about this week is how movies like The Avengers affect me. These movies always make me want to be so much more than I am. The young boy that went home swinging sticks like a light saber after seeing Star Wars in 1977 is alive and well. I so wanted to be a Jedi Knight (still do). A part of me will never be satisfied living the day-to-day life of a normal man. I want more.

There is a scene in Infinity War where the bad guys show up to wreak havoc on a city. Everyone is running away from the chaos—everyone except Tony Stark. Tony is pushing against the panicked flow of humanity to see what is happening. This would be me (at least I imagine it would). Of course, I’m not Iron Man so I would probably be squashed like a bug by flying rubble. Or maybe not. I believe God smiles upon those who take chances, even the oft-times reckless ones. 

Men were created for action and adventure. We are wired for discovery, to see what is around the next curve, to find out what is over the next hill. We feel the call to hunt and to fight and be aggressive when necessary. Modern society has taken much of that from us. Today, there is rarely any need for us to stand brave in the face of mortal danger. Our planned neighborhoods and sprawling shopping centers leave little room for discovery. There is a restlessness in modern man that few find remedy for. 

I believe that there is a superhero locked away inside of us that yearns to be released. Instead, many of us choose to sit back and watch life pass around us. We turn to alcohol and drugs to lift our depressed spirits. We scream and cheer for professional athletes who are doing what we secretly wish we could do. We imagine ourselves rock stars and soldiers and adventurers, all while dragging through our all-to-regular day to day lives. Sometimes the worst of us comes out and we treat those we are supposed to love and cherish like they are the cause of our disappointment in life. We do almost anything just to feel something.

Or am I the only one?

I want more. I want to do more, live more, be more. Actually, I want to be Spiderman but at my age I probably couldn’t pull off the costume. And my eyes are bad. Then there's that little issue with…anyway, I digress. My problem is that I don’t know what to do and that often leads to bouts of depression. It all feels so overwhelming. As Christians, we are called to look to Jesus for strength and guidance. Jesus was a true superhero. I’m not Jesus any more than I’m Spiderman.

In June I'm going to Haiti with a group from Stonehill Church. Stonehill Church is in Idaho. I’ve never been to Idaho. Haiti by way of Idaho (and Phoenix and New York) sounds like an adventure to me. We are going there to help out in several orphanages in an area that has not recovered from the earthquake that devastated the country in 2010. Jesus said to take care of those less fortunate so this will make us a little more like Jesus. And, you know what? Those kids over there might just see a bit of Jesus in us. Sort of like superheroes. That would be cool.

Take care,

Tom