In my life-coaching practice, I see a lot of pain. Much of it stems from fear and guilt, often expressed as low self-esteem, anxiety, a lack of forgiveness both for oneself and others, anger – and so on.
Chances are we have all experienced some degree of this in our own lives. But when it begins to interfere with living a happy and productive life, it is not uncommon to look outside of oneself for help. At some level, we all occasionally feel the need to be rescued, and we can’t always do it for ourselves, try as we might.
Enter the superhero. Our culture today is hungry for a supernatural hero who can step outside of human frailty and save us. It starts in childhood, and we don’t seem to outgrow it. And so we look to Superman, Spiderman, Iron Man, Batman, Wonder Woman – the list goes on. This kind of rescue is usually of a physical nature because survival is our most basic need. Of course it’s all imaginary, but there is no shame in hoping for it – and in truth, science takes us ever closer to extraordinary rescue every day.
But once those basic needs are met, we may crave a more “inner” salvation from the pain that plagues us. No superheroes here.
Usually we seek escape instead of rescue, often in the form of substance abuse, overeating and/or other unhealthy avoidance behaviors. Why is it that we feel totally justified in pursuing a mystical physical rescue but many perceive a spiritual rescue as weak and delusional?
Most of us have cried out at some time in our lives to an “other” (often undefined, but sensed all the same) for help. That plea, whether you realize it or not, is a response to an “other” that called out to you first. Otherwise, how would you know, hope or sense that the “other” was even a possibility? I encourage you to spend some time in that secret place inside yourself that suspects (at least on occasion) that there is hope and rescue of a spiritual nature. And while you’re at it, try to find the God who loves you. If you can do that, I promise, your entire life will get better.
I’m just saying … If someone asked me the currently popular question “If you could have one superpower, what would that be?” my answer would be that I would rewrite history and undo all the damage that power-driven humans with an insatiable need to control the masses have done to God’s image. The truth is that His love and forgiveness are more real than any imaginary superhero could ever be. Every sunrise and night sky, every leaf and every breath we take is His love letter to us. Take some time and open up your mail. You might start with John 3:16 in the Bible. It just doesn’t get any better than this: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
I have a song for everything. Watch and listen on YouTube: “Where It’s Always Been” by Phillips, Craig and Dean; and “Jesus Loves Me” by Chris Tomlin.
Sharon Lennox-Infante is a Certified Life Coach who lives and works in Los Altos. For more information, visit SharonLennox.com.
