Surprise!

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

~1 Timothy 1:17 NKJV

I smelled rubber as the sedan screeched to a halt. With legs sprawled, palms stretched wide, and arms waving, my three-year-old son Matthew stood in front of the car with an expression of delight. He was my superhero. 

How had he slipped his hand out of mine? I scooped my son into my arm, tightened my grip on my daughter’s hand, and approached the driver’s side of the car. I apologized profusely.

Once inside the grocery store, I sat my son in the cart seat and lifted my daughter into the basket.

“Son, what were you thinking?” I asked, dumbfounded.

“I’m Superman! I stop car!” Matthew said, flexing his muscles to demonstrate his power.

“Mom,” my daughter said, “That was neat.”

“Not exactly,” I said, knowing I’d ask my husband once again to discuss street safety. I think I’ll put the Super Hero videos away for a while, I thought, but I knew that would be futile.

Childrens’ Superheroes

To my three-and-four-year-old children, superheroes were as real as Charlotte the spider who lived on the back porch, and I was not permitted to sweep her web away in case she wanted to write a message. The Easter Bunny lived in the neighborhood—my children had seen him. Sure enough, Gilligan was going to teach my children boating skills—as soon as he got off the island. And Mr. Rogers certainly would bring Lady Elaine and Daniel for a visit soon.

Superheroes empower children. With their imagination activated, children can envision the world as a safe place to grow, learn, and play. Once we become adults, we lose that safety net of knowing there is a superpower greater than ourselves . . . or do we? With faith activated, we can know the One who is more majestic than any imaginary Superhero, and His name is mightier than any name that is named.

Our Superhero

If we are looking for a superhero, we have to look no further than Jesus Christ. He is the One who carries our fears so we don’t have to. He is the One who activates our dreams—even those we gave up on ever achieving. Jesus Christ is the One who restores broken lives. He heals the body that aches and the doctors haven’t been able to find the ailment or the cure. Jesus reinstates the marriage that is shredding apart day by day as we grasp for dying love. Jesus provides bread on our table when the mortgage is due and the dollars are few.

Our superhero is our Bridegroom. He is the One who has activated our ability to imagine the good life we can have in Him as we trust Him with our future. We say, “My Beloved is white and ruddy, chief among ten thousand” (Song 5:10 NKJV) because He is pure yet reachable and fully God yet fully man. He is the superhero we live our lives for.

In 1 Timothy, Paul pens a picture of our Superhero: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief” (1 Timothy 1:15b). Even though Paul committed great sins, he knew Jesus Christ saved and transformed him. I like that because it lets us know we qualify regardless of the ways we’ve messed up. With Christ’s superpowers as the only begotten Son of God, He chose to live, die, and rise again to pardon us. Jesus has a beautiful future for us. This is why Paul pens this praise, “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Timothy 1:17 KJV).

Give Thanks

How can we thank our Superhero as eloquently as Paul? Even though we are adults, God has placed within us the indelible gift of imagination. As we pray, we can envision with child-like faith just how majestic our real-life Superhero truly is.

Share a character trait about your Superhero, the Beloved, Jesus Christ.

My Beloved Jesus, help me to envision You as my real-life Superhero. Thank You for being the One I love more than all others.

Your Bride,

Genre: Non-fiction

Copyright 2019: My Superhero: Diane Virginia: All Rights Reserved 

Award-Winning: Fourth Place: Advance the Kingdom Devotion Contest 2019: Asheville Christian Writer’s Conference