Better Than Spiderman!

Growing up my favorite super hero was Spiderman. The reason I liked Spiderman wasn't because of his web slinging abilities, his keen sense of discernment, his knack for sarcasm, or his insanely scientific brain. No, the reason I liked Spiderman was because he was real.

Now don't get me wrong - I don't really believe there exists a radiation induced human arachnid swinging above New York in blue & red tights. When I say he's real, I'm referring to the struggles he faced in his stories; the obstacles, conflicts, and emotional barriers he was forced to overcome on an almost daily basis.

Take Superman for example, he is the man of steel. The champion of truth, justice, and the American way. He is a model of self sacrifice and servitude. However, he is practically invincible; and the only internal conflict we see in him is his indecisiveness over whether or not he should reveal his identity to Lois Lane.

Peter Parker (Spiderman) is an average kid - nothing special about him. He wasn't popular, he wasn't an athlete, scholar, or Mr. outgoing. He faced low self - esteem, guilt, insecurities, grief, pain, etc. Every emotion that real humans feel day after day. What made him a hero was that he always overcame them - no matter how strong the temptation was to give into himself - and did what was good, decent, and right.

Even Stan Lee - the creator of Spiderman - admitted that when he created the character he intentionally left out all the pizzazz commonly found in comic book super heroes.

The reason...

He wanted to make a character real humans could relate to. That is the charm of Spiderman, he is someone who faces ordinary stuff and overcomes them with the help of extraordinary abilities.
Ok - enough about comics, let's get to the real issue.

Our kid's today look for heroes.

Unfortunately far too many of our children seek their examples out of the pit of pop culture. The role models found there are molded in the image of Hollywood, the music industry, or the sports arena. As a result our children grow up seeking to fit those images. I see it every day in the lives of children I work with. They've made heroes out of Harry Potter, Hannah Montana, Jamie Lynn Spears, etc.

The problem is that these role models do not portray how a person should deal with life. They present a picture perfect world where no rules apply and no consequences exist. They portray a lifestyle of promiscuity, drug abuse, rebelliousness, irresponsibility, and unaccountability.

In the world of Hollywood there are no real problems, and no real need for heroes....

However in this world troubles come. Pain comes, insecurity comes, and we are ultimately accountable for the consequences of our decisions. For these reasons - and others - it is important for our children to have real heroes who can give them an example of how to overcome this world.

Now I'm not preaching that we should turn our kids toward Spiderman, but there is another hero that we can relate to. In fact, I read somewhere that this hero has the ability to be touched by our infirmities. His x-ray vision sees the thoughts and the intents of our hearts. His super human strength is greatest when we are weak. He is faster than a speeding bullet when it comes to delivering us; and his grace is able to leap and cover the tallest trash heap of sin.

This hero is none other than our Lord Jesus Christ!

Our kid's need to be shown that Christ is the only true hero worthy of admiration. I know that is a simple statement,

But the fact is....

A lot of children fail to look at Christ in such a manner.

They know about Christ, and they even know they are supposed to love him - they have listened in Sunday school - but for a lot of kid's the truth of Christ never hits home.

I'm always amazed when I ask kid's why they should love Jesus, or why they should worship Jesus, and their responses are stares of confusion. Some just don't know why they ought to love Christ.

However, you ask them why they like "so and so" and they can identify the aspect of that person that appeals to them.

Two years ago at South Texas Kidz Kamp our theme was "The Real Super Heroes." It was incredible to see 9, 10, & 11 year olds responding to the idea of Jesus being more than just an awesome God - he is a real life hero that knows what we face and has the power to deliver us from our real life junk!

We showed them that their pastors, their moms & dads, their Sunday school teachers, children's pastors, elders, etc are real heroes with real abilities to show them the way! When they understood that they had real "flesh and blood" heroes at their disposal it changed the way they interacted with God. On the third night the power of God was so strong that we never reached the preaching!

Why?

Because when these children realized they had a hero with real powers to help them, they sought him with all their hearts!

For HOURS these kids prayed!

We saw a repeat the next weekend at a Holy Ghost rally; and again a few weeks later at our district family camp! The kids were presented with the ultimate super hero and they responded with heart felt love and adoration - which is the definition of worship. Why am I saying all this? It's not to belittle, criticize, or lecture. Rather, it is to illustrate that if we take the eyes of our children off this world and focus them on the aspect that God is not just God...

But is THEIR God...

Their own personal hero with the ability to help them...

Then our children will respond with worship and a deep devotion to God.

How do we instill true affection for Christ in the hearts of our sons and daughters? By making Christ relevant to their lives & needs. By exposing the fallacy of pop culture and showing them that true heroes don't prance around on stages, or dunk winning goals.

Instead, the only true hero in this world suffered death so they wouldn't have to. He took nails so they could have life. He took strips for when they got sick. He took chastisement for their peace. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief so that he could help them with their hurts and their sorrows.

Jesus Christ...

He's more than a God...

He's our super hero!