Whose Superhero are You?

I was listening to a Christian radio station. The DJ talked about a family he knows whose wife and mom was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. The entire family dressed up in superhero costumes and went with her to each of her chemo treatments to let her know she’s their superhero. The DJ said great comfort was brought to her during such trying times because of her “team” support. This entire family are true superheroes.

Everyone could use a superhero in their lives at one time or another. I’m reminded of the heroes Moses needed when the Israelites were being overcome by the Amalekites while wandering in the desert. Joshua led the troops into battle, while Moses held his hands up on a nearby hill. While his hands were raised, the Israelites prevailed. Exodus 17:11 reads, “So it came about when Moses held his hands up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hands down, Amalek prevailed.” Eventually, Moses became weary, and so Aaron and Hur responded by holding up his arms until the Israelites were able to finally defeat the Amalekites.

Even though Moses was a strong, courageous leader, he still needed heroes and he needed to be willing to embrace the support of trusted friends, Aaron and Hur.

The question for us is: “Who are we standing with today and whose arms are we lifting up?” Many people are on the fringes of giving up. They are discouraged, frightened, and weary from a long testing of their faith. Rather than always focusing on our own problems and concerns, maybe our greatest relief will come as we reach out to others and become their superhero.

We don’t really need superpowers to be a superhero. We don’t need superpowers to stand up for what we know is right, maintain our integrity and be a source of encouragement. We don’t need superpowers to take the time to truly listen to people, keep our word, or live with honor. We don’t need superpowers to lead by example or be the change we’d like to see in the world.

In Mark 12:31 Jesus said: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” When we are facing insurmountable circumstances, how would we feel if a brother or sister came alongside to help us stay the course of our faith? I’ve had those people in my life and they were my superheroes.

I’ve got my big “S” shirt on and I’m looking for a place to land — how about you? It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s superhero YOU and ME! We don’t need superpowers to see that there’s nothing stopping us from loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. So, let’s step it up to be a superhero to someone today. Wearing a cape is optional!