As a kid I always wanted to be a superhero! It could have been all the comic books I was reading (thanks Shawn and Jon!)- but I always day dreamed of having some extraordinary power that would help me fight crime. As I have a bit of a fear of heights, fly was out, and I certainly didn't want any power that would change my appearance (by the age of 13 I was 5'10"- so being more odd didn't really appeal to me). I always wanted a power that would allow me to use my mind to move things (commonly called telekinesis - think Jean Grey from the X-Men... I am a nerd). I love the idea of being able to use my thoughts to impact the environment. Imagine being able to fold laundry without moving from the couch- getting coffee while still in bed- okay those aren't crime fighting related deeds but you get the point.
As I grew older, I came to realize my powers would never surface (much to my great sadness!) In college I majored in psychology and learned that our brains are truly very powerful. To this day I am intrigued by the power our minds have over us. More often than not we fail to realize how strong our minds can be. The only thing we have control of in this world is how we react to the events around us. We get to choose what we think about, what we focus on, how we see events and that is great power.
Jesus reminds us of this power in John 14:1 when he says "Let not your hearts be troubled..."
He clearly understood that we have the choice on how deal with the world around us. In context he is trying to encourage his disciples as he prepares for death. He is trying to give them perspective, to help them see past the sorrow they will soon face. But the key to this verse seems to be "Let not"- choose not to let you heart be trouble. Jesus is reminding us that we get to make the choice about how we see situations. We are not creatures who are forced to think, believe, or feel a certain way. And even beyond that he encourages us to see past the situation, to see it in a broader context- in God's context. This seems so simple, but we all know that sometimes life simply sucks and as a result we hurt. We must remember that we have a choice, we control our minds and not the other way around. We must work to see hurts and joys in God's context.
I might not be able to hurl cars at bad guys, but I certainly can make a choice about how I deal with the struggles of life- and that is a different kind of superhero!
0 comments:
Post a Comment