Are You a Captain Nobody or Captain Somebody?

While his Mom and Dad are away, Bryson and I read a lot. Right now it's a book called "Captain Nobody." The 10-year old, Newt, in this story, is perplexed because Halloween is coming and he can't think of a superhero to be. He doesn't want to be one of the same-o superheroes we all know about. In the meantime, his older brother gets seriously injured in a football game and all eyes, hearts and attention are on the brother, not on Newt.

So Newt has no one to help him with his dilemma. His friends show up on Halloween to find him downhearted because he hasn't thought of a character, but they help him cut up some of his brother's hand-me-down clothes, which included his brother's initials, CN, on the headband. When asked who he was and what CN stood for, his friends came up with the name Commander Neutron, but Newt disagrees and says he's "Captain Nobody". Sad, because of his own need for identity, but happy, because he didn't have to prove himself to be anyone of significance. That's as far as we've gotten in the book. I'm sure there's a happy ending coming!

When we finished our chapters for the day, Bryson said, "I had a crazy dream last night. I dreamed that I was Mr. Goo Goo and I shot goo out on enemies. Unfortunately, the big monster who looked like Godzilla, ate me. The end." LOL! Not a very happy ending, but I think that dream was a byproduct of reading about Captain Nobody!

As much as I love superhero stories, I always love to rein the kids back into reality. The greatest news of all, we are all here on this earth at this time to be "somebodies". No, we may not be a Spider Man, Hulk, Cinderella or Snow White, but in God's Kingdom, we are the stars of His show. We are the movers and the shakers -- the history makers. We are the ones who are the every day heroes. Every time we raise our hand and say "Count me in!" to volunteer for worthy causes, we are a hero. Every time we pursue justice on behalf of the poor and marginalized, we are exercising the dominion that God's Word speaks of in Genesis. We do it when we welcome a stranger or showing God's love to those in need. We do it when we teach others what God is like.

Isn't it time we realize there's a role God called us to fill in His Kingdom story? Really there is only one Lord, God, Master, Ruler....SUPER HERO and when we position ourselves under His authority, He equips us to live out our unique purposes as every day heroes that make a difference in this world -- being His hands extended. Matthew 25:35-40 "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ That sure sounds like a Captain Somebody to me!