Heroes.  People who make the world a better place.  Super heroes are those with special gifts and a special calling in order to accomplish this role.

0k, men,  when we were 4, we all wanted to be super heroes.  If someone asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up, you said “superhero.”  Maybe a super hero to you at that time was a policeman, or fireman, or soldier (which at that age, we  intriguingly called “armyman“), but if you were like me, and my sons, you actually named a super hero (Batman (my favorite), Spiderman, or even Superman!).  Some just said “a super hero.”

 

We all knew that we wanted to make the world a better and safer place for everyone else.

Then maybe someone convinced us that we weren’t super heroes.

They told us we weren’t gifted or called with their words, curses, actions, or even just indifference.  Maybe an act on our parents’ parts taught us that we actually had no power – like when they divorced (and we couldn’t stop it) or abused someone (and we couldn’t stop it).

Maybe it was at school when you learned that you could be punished for standing up to a bully.  Or when you failed when you tried to stand up to a bully.  Our modern society is typically set against people stepping up for what is right, especially if it is with more than just words – and often empty, powerless words.

My first son wore a cape for a couple of years.  (Each of my children have at some point). When anyone asked him why he wore the cape, he would look at them like they were a little thick in the head and say “Because I am a Super Hero.” I think he thought wearing the cape should have made that obvious enough.  And I was amazed that there were friends, family, and even strangers who thought it was their job to make sure he knew that he wasn’t really a super hero!

I defy them.  I stand against the idea that we cannot be super heroes.

As my son figured out, real super heroes may not wear capes and costumes, but they exist.  Super Heroes exist.  People who make the world a better place for those within their sphere of influence do exist!

In fact, I side with Smalley and Trent (from their book, The Hidden Value of a Man) that we are super heroes to our families and friends whether we believe so or not,…or at least as powerful as one in their lives.

When we live in denial of that fact, we are as dangerous as Superman in denial of the fact that he is anything more than Clark Kent.  Clark Kent, in that state, is a walking disaster area – even the simplest activity would carry huge ramifications!  When he merely tries to slap his alarm clock, he smashed the whole bedside table; when he yells at his son, he blows out the windows along the block as well as every family member’s eardrums.

So, if we carry so much consequence, than we had better know how to aim that power and submit it properly.  We can be Super Heroes; in fact, we better remember that we are.  As Uncle Ben told Peter Parker – “With great power comes great responsibility.”  If you are a man, you are powerful.  If you know that you are a male, but aren’t confident in the idea that you are a MAN, there will be an article or two on that coming, please be patient.

It isn’t that women cannot be super heroes as well – of course they can, and should.  My premise here is in regard to boys in particular.  Boys MUST know that we believe they can make the world a better place and be honored when they want to identify with people who can do so.

Men, we are heroes.  God has made us powerful.  We are Super Heroes.  Let us wake up to the truth of it and embrace it.  Buy a cape if you have to.

Now check out article 2