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Don’t tug on Superman’s cape

Gary Wingo

“Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! Look … up in the sky. It’s a bird … it’s a plane – no, it’s Superman!” Man, if I could only fly; if only I could repel life’s “bullets” like him! Remember how Superman had two personas? One was the mild-mannered Clark Kent, reporter for the Daily Planet. The other was the powerful, invulnerable Superman … defender of planet Earth. How convenient!Who would you rather be – Clark Kent or Superman? In this day and age, it would be fantastic if we all could be super men or super women. Sadly, that’s what our culture tells us to be in order to succeed. Play the game and do your best to look perfect. Create an image you can hide behind because if people knew who you really were, they would reject you. Hide that true self deep down inside where you’re safe. But what if the image fails? What if you can’t pull off 24/7 this “Superperson” image? Our society overvalues image and underplays the truth. And we end up fighting way too hard to maintain the “pose” and rarely expose our real selves.When are we going to learn that with God we don’t have to pose anymore? We can be ourselves and find full acceptance with him. Max Lucado in “Grace” states, “God loves you just the way you are. Don’t confuse God’s love with the love of people. The love of people increases with performance and decreases with mistakes.” Let go of what people think, and trust who you are to God; after all, our mistakes are his best tools for building our character.In Hebrews 13:5, God says, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” People do; God doesn’t. We can’t run God off with our mistakes. Jesus Christ even said, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I’ve not come to call the righteous, but sinners,” Matthew 9:13.Haven’t we all fallen into the ditch somewhere along the way? Aren’t we all broken at some point by life’s curveballs? Jesus Christ came to this planet because of our sin and failure:- No, you can’t fly, but you can “Soar on the wings of eagles” with the Lord (Isaiah 40:31).- You’ll never be able to leap tall buildings, but you can “Lift your eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord!” Psalm 121:1. He stands ready to jump into the battle!- You know you’re not invulnerable, but you can “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes,” Ephesians 6:11. And you’ll find refuge for your soul.Give up the pose, be honest, and accept yourself. When you do, God’s mercy and compassion will overwhelm you. Whatever you’re hiding, God knows your heart and accepts you just as you are, for “The Lord’s close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit,” Psalm 34:18.Vail, Colorado


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