The Funny Thing About Superheroes

Matthew 11:28-29 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

Super Heroes are not real. They are only in cartoons, even when we believe that we ourselves fall into that category. As a single mom, I have found that more often than not, I have a Super Hero complex. I never want anyone to feel sorry for me. I never want to feel like a victim. I never want to think that I can't do it all. I mean, really, I do everything that 2 people do every single day. Isn't that part of the job description of a Super Hero?

The funny thing about single moms who think that they are super heroes is that we have a hard time hearing from others that we are not and that we should not, nor do we have to be. There is a natural "fighting" instinct when it comes to our world and we think because we are the ones living it that no one else can possibly see or understand our plight. What I am coming to learn about being a Super Hero is that all it does is create exhaustion and invite chaos.

God is NOT a God of chaos. God is a God of order. You can go back to Genesis to see that He did not create the whole world in one day, and with each creation there was order. He built the Tabernacle so specifically that you could never question His ability to be the Great Engineer. He loves order. He loves for His children to rest in that - not run around like crazy people.

Have you ever had someone speak truth directly to your heart, yet put up your Super Hero shield to block it because as a Super Hero (Single) Mom we think we know best? Often we do not. We are living in the midst of chaos and cannot see beyond the craziness. Running kids from one side of town to the other, running errands, trying to get the grocery shopping done, visit friends and maintain some semblance of balance in our lives. Many times we do not like hearing it in the moment -- probably because it is so true and we know that it is going to cause us to make some changes and while change is good, it is not always easy. It's time for us to re-calibrate our world so that we don't live in the center of chaos.

I am reminded to thank people for loving me enough to remind me to slow down, to remove the "S" from my chest and to rest. I need that perspective when I start flying too high and tackling too many tall buildings alone. I need the loving perspective of those outside my circumstances who can see clearly and not just be my "yes men." There are times, I'm sure, that I want and need to hear someone agree with me but after doing so, I need to hear the truth. Those who share are often outside of the storm (not a bad storm - just life) and can see from a completely different perspective. I am thankful that my friends and family love me enough to always share that. I'm not sure if anyone else is this way, but I'll share a little inside secret about me... if I initially get a little snippy it means that I know what I'm being told is what I need to hear - I'm just not quite ready to remove my cape. More often than not, in situations like that, I will awaken the next day to see the truth and the love in their words. It is at that point that I can step back and rest in the arms of the ONLY Super Hero.