Our Greatest Superpower

This summer in our household, among other things, has been the season of superheroes. It all started with a quick emergency room visit where the only thing available to watch was Paw Patrol, and went downhill with a beach trip where the television only had Spiderman Jr. on it. Add a few opportunities where an opinionated kiddo could help select new pajamas or shirts, and all of a sudden we are non-stop superheroes. If you ask him, Basil will even confess that he has a superpower—to fly like an eagle. But of course, being a stereotypical mom, when Basil first announced his imaginary ability, I immediately told him that he has a real superpower. Wide eyed, Basil said, "Really?"

In addition to being a summer of superheroes, it has also been a summer of developing and working with our big emotions. As Basil experiences strong anger, sadness, disappointment, or frustration, we are learning and relearning together what it means to manage emotions. I shouldn't be surprised, but I am, at how helpful the tactics we are practicing with the four-year-old are making a difference in my life as well.

So when Basil declared he had an imaginary superpower, I quickly told him he had a real on too—when he chooses to be kind when people are mean, or when he chooses to manage his anger instead of lashing out. He didn't really love that answer because it's not as cool as flying above trees, but it does make a big difference in the world. How many of our superheroes, from Paw Patrol to Captain America, choose to help others when it's not convenient? How many put aside their anger to choose empathy for the strange?

I see it in my own life, sometimes it feels like a real miracle or a feat of nature, to choose empathy over selfishness. To choose to not be bitter or to not let my anxieties drive the day. To choose to love someone who has hurt my feelings or made me mad does often feel like Spiderman swinging through the city or Superman saving the day, narrowly missing what could have been disaster. Christ tells us to “love one another, just as he has loved us” (John 13:34) knowing that this is not an easy task. He calls us knowing that it is difficult, but also that when we choose it, we stand out like a superhero. So, maybe you can't fly like an eagle over all of Macon, but you too can be a superhero in our world.