I’ve been ruminating on the concept of superpowers for a while now. I’m not talking about nation states considered to be the mightiest of them all, but the human traits that can produce miraculous changes in people’s lives.
This week (it had to be the week when I planned to write on superpowers!!) some bloggers were taking part in a meme in which they described the ten superpowers they wished they had. Some of the answers were funny (a magic cleaning wand, being able to find lost items immediately), others made me wish those superpowers truly were available (ability to clone myself and to put time on pause).
Meanwhile, over at Superhero Nation, you can read a full list of the “known superpowers.” Beside generic physical superpowers, did you know that there are categories such as biological control (shape-shifting), manipulation of elements, psychic strengths (telekinesis and telepathy), forms of transportation (wall-climbing, exceptional leaping), and feats of mental strength? Yeah, neither did I.
And let’s not forget how Hollywood feeds our imagination with superheroes like Iron Man, Superman, Spiderman, and Batman. Ironic that they’re almost always men, eh? These larger-than-life personas avert disasters and rescue the perishing at the 11th hour. Good trumps evil, and the world returns to an uneasy peace… until the next, more hellish villain appears.
But I’m thinking more about regular superheroes you might mingle with daily or meet on the street, who use their superpowers in more unobtrusive, less in-your-face ways. Nonheroes who turn the world around with their superpowers.
The gold standard for such superpowers, I believe, is found in Galatians 5:22-23:
Unconditional love, joy, peace, patience, kindheartedness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
The Bible refers to them as the “fruit of the Spirit,” but I see them as supernatural, superpowerful traits that can change the course of history. When we use these superpowers, what’s meant for evil is turned to good. What’s right triumphs over evil and sin. God gets the glory and He delivers the benefits to His kids.
But have you realized many of that these superpowers are in short supply? And do you recognize that perhaps there’s a tenth fruit that should be added to the list, due to its scarcity: common sense?
I’d like to add to the fruit of the Spirit, if I may, nine other superpowers that I believe can bless, heal, and restore fullness of life to all who encounter them:
- Empathy–not pity
I’m keen to know what you’re doing with your superpowers. Yes, you! You’ve got at least one superpower, if not a dozen, in your arsenal. If you don’t use them, you’ll lose them!
Got superpowers? Tell me which is your greatest superpower and how you’re using it to bless others.