This seems like as good a time as any to look a little farther into this superhero thing. There seems to be a great deal of controversy as to whether superheros are born superheros or are they made in to superheros. (Ok, so maybe there’s really not a controversy but it makes for some excitement.) Superman — born. Spiderman — made. Batman — umm, actually I’m not sure (those crazy pointed ears!).
I hear stories very often about people who perform some great acts of heroism. Were they destined to be there, at that spot, at that given time, to perform whatever feat they performed? Was it a fluke? Did it all just happen?
I guess maybe the question is about destiny. Is it all pre-determined or do we get to have a say in it? I would think that even Christians would have to believe that possibly we have a say in it. Otherwise, why would we have been given the gift of “free will”?
I think it’s interesting to hear stories from people about times in their life when they felt broken or beat down or stuck. Hearing how people got up, how they walked away from the broken — makes for a good story. We all stumble and sometimes we even fall. But, it’s those of us that get up — you know, scrapped knees only hurt for a short time and bruises usually fade with time. Do superheros stumble?
There is an owl that lives in the woods across the street from my house. I’ve heard it hoot around 5:16 every morning for at least 10 months. I don’t know anything about owls — how long they live, how long do they nest in one place, why do they only hoot at 5:16am. I’m not sure if it’s the same owl — but I pretend it is. I have formed quite a relationship with this owl — although I’ve never seen her (I think she is a she). She wakes me up every morning. She talks to me in a calm demeanor. She is always there.
I’m not sure who else has heard my owl. My house is positioned so that I possibly could be her only friend. My kids have never heard my owl, their rooms are far away from mine. I have peered out my window on many mornings hoping to catch a glimpse of her. I try to follow her hoot so that I can pinpoint her location — I want to know what tree she is actually in. But, it’s been impossible so far. I’ve thought about going outside and following her hoot — but at 5:16 it’s sometimes dark, and sometimes cold, and sometimes lonely. I’m not sure she would be open to having a visitor to her woods.
Maybe if I had superpowers I could see her in the dark. Maybe if I had superpowers I wouldn’t be afraid to walk across the street to the darkened woods. Maybe…
So, are superheros made or are they born? Can you overcome your fears to find the powers that perhaps have been in you all along? Can you walk across the street to greet a friend that beckons you every morning? Maybe…
