Casandra Martin

Superheroes are big at my house. There are ongoing discussions comparing the strengths, powers, strategies, and tools of the different heroes. Age doesn’t seem to matter. Little boys strike poses, pretending to cast webs, fight enemies, and protect the house from evil. Big boys dig into the particulars of different heroes, analyzing, and perhaps dreaming, of what it would be like to have their own super powers.

Super powers, in real life, don’t look anything like the comic books. Being a hero isn’t about being the strongest, fastest, or most pumped. Heroes, real heroes, are the people who with quiet humility move through their days with compassion, grace, and a sense of purpose. They see God in the ordinary, sharing His love in tangible ways, and helping others experience His presence. You don’t always realize that you have been with a hero until you leave them. You just know that you are breathing again, hoping again, smiling again, believing again.

“…and his name shall be called…Mighty God,” – Isaiah 9:c

The child Isaiah tells us is coming is no mere mortal. He is the Mighty God. All of the power, strength, majesty, and glory of the Lord is His. Heaven is His throne room. The earth His footstool. And yet, He emptied Himself, took on the skin of man, the form of a servant, and entered this world in the quietness of a stable. There were no trumpets, cameras, news announcements, or press releases. Heaven opened up, poured its heart onto the earth, and watched as a mother held her newborn son. Very few saw Him for the hero that He was. But He left the world with hope, and that is the mark of a true hero.

My Jesus Resolution today is to stand in wonder. Our Messiah is the Mighty God. He could have commanded armies, brought down kings, and demanded homage. Instead, He walked and talked about God. He showed mercy. He touched the unclean, held children, and noticed those the world had dismissed. And He gave us all the power to be heroes. You can do what He did, talk about what He talked about, love, notice, serve, and sacrifice. You can point others to the heavens, and show them not a bird or a plane, but Jesus.