Last night, I watched another episode of “Heroes”.
For those of you who haven’t heard of the series, it tells the interrelated stories of a an ever growing group of individuals who possess a special genetic marker that manifests itself as unique, special superhuman abilities. “Ordinary people discovering extraordinary abilities.”
Their abilities include things like the ability to fly, to read other people’s thoughts, superhuman strength, the ability to somehow communicate with machines, to warp time, to paint the future, to be invisible, to be indestructible, and to cause people to forget certain memories. At first it may seem similar to X-Men, but the attraction of the show lies in the fact that these people are ordinary people like you and me who are startled at discovering these special abilities and trying to figure out how to use them, some for good, some for evil. They are also discovering that they are not alone and beginning to join together on a mission to save the world from disaster.
The recent season of “Heroes” has began to look into a cryptic symbol which has been recurring throughout the series. It’s been seen as a tatoo, a necklace, a symbol on an ancient Japanese sword and many other places. Recent episodes revealed the symbol as being a combination of two Japanese characters, 才 (sai) meaning ‘great talent’ and 与 (yo) meaning ‘Godsent’.
Makes me think about our own lives as Christians.
We are also ordinary people, discovering the extraordinary. We each have a purpose and have been gifted with special talents and skills – “God sent” – to fulfill that purpose. It’s a purpose that is bigger than any individual. Like the famous quote from the series” “Save the Cheerleader, Save the world.” We are also called to save the world, one life at a time. As Christians we have a special marker, the blood of Christ, that allows us to grow and manifest special talents and skills to fulfill an ultimate destiny, a supernatural purpose. We don’t know all the details, and there are a lot of things going on that are unseen, and as yet unrevealed, but through the Scriptures, God has painted visions of the future for us, and with the Sword (of the Spirit) we can make a difference in that future in so many lives. We have not yet fully realized all we can become in Christ, but are on a process of daily discovery. Everyday the supernatural interjects itself into our natural lives. Yet so many around us just don’t see it, are unaware, are going about their lives with absolutely no clue that anything is happening or that a impeding disaster is just around the corner.
As we are given glimpses of the awesome things we are capable of in Christ, are we complacent to sit back and enjoy life or do we have a sense of urgency to use them to make a difference? Do we take our special position and abilities for granted or do we use them for the benefit of others? Worse, do we use them for our own self-interest?
If we could hear others thoughts, would it change the way we live? What if others could hear our thoughts? God hears our thoughts!
If we could choose to forget certain events and experiences, would we? Would we be the same people if we did forget?
If no one could see us, would we be tempted to do things we normally would not do? Would we have the integrity to be the same person when no one can see us? Yet scripture tells us God sees us all the time!
Are we on a mission to save the world, even in the midst of a journey to discover ourselves and what God can do through us?
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