Opinion: Up, up and away
Growing up, most of us had comic or cartoon superheroes, and yes this included the girls and the boys. When we begin to identify who our superheroes were, our age was often revealed as well. The outcome with superheroes was often the same. These action figures would eventually win the contest, even if it meant a part two to the episode. It would be nice to have a few real-life superheroes from time to time.
The closest to superheroes for us would be our first responders. These are the people who are first on the scene after a fire, wreck, accident, power outages, social disputes and other emergencies. We welcome a blue light when we are involved in an accident, but we hate to see them after we have been caught speeding. It is amazing how quickly we flip the switch on first responders. We will prepare food for those who were sent to restore our electricity after a power outage. Then, we will take that same dish of food to throw at the person walking across our property to terminate power for non-payment. These responders, for the most part, can be relied on to be fair and equitable.
My dad was my superhero; he could fix anything that was broken. In fact, once the blocks had been laid, he did everything else to completely build the house in which I spent most of my grade-school years. His day job was at International Paper, but evenings and weekends included everything from installing fresh water wells to building and installing cabinets. My dad rarely called anybody to fix anything at home, on his equipment or his vehicles. My dad passed when I was in the 10th grade, which caused me to man up quickly. He couldn't fly like a superhero, but he could do almost everything else.
There is going to be a day when many of us will fly like the superheroes we grew up envying. Yes, I really believe that something special is going to happen and instantaneously those of us who have prepared for this flight will go up, up and away. One might ask, how can I be so sure that such an event will take place? According to the Apostle Paul, a day of such will take place, "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).
This flying thing will only be possible for those who have Christ in their lives as their personal savior. Imagine that, you and I with superhero powers at the end of time flying with the Lord. Walls will not be able to hold us back, neither will the grave be able to retain us. Up, up and away we will go to forever be with the Lord.
Sometimes, we hear the song "one glad morning when this life is over I'll fly away." If you want to defy gravity one day, join the team and ask Jesus into your life today. It's simple; just say, "Lord Jesus, I'm a sinner, lost and can't find my way. Save my soul today, and direct me to a place where I can continue to grow. Amen."
Sam Livingston is pastor of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Manning.