I’ve always loved superheroes. As a child my hero was Christopher Reeve’s incarnation of Superman (left). I just wanted to be him. His ideals, his values, his belief in our ability to be better as people. And of course, his super powers.

Now of course, as an adult I know I don’t have ‘superpowers’ like comic book heroes.

I’m just a writer. I’m just me, with all my insecurities, and imperfections. I’m not perfect. And a lot of the time, I think I’m nothing special.

Don’t we all?

But I was watching a superhero movie today, about Spider-Man – an ordinary guy who gets powers, and still has all his insecurities, fears and imperfections despite that.

And I felt God speak to me quietly, and tell me that I do have a superpower.

Writing – as only I can write. Being me.

My ability with words is my primary power. The talent I have to reflect, come up with ideas and form them into sentences and paragraphs which have an impact on people’s lives.

Sure, other people have a similar power, but none of them are me. None of them have my unique combination of knowledge and experiences which make me, well, me.

And that’s my unique power.

The combination of talents, knowledge and experience. No one has a combination of these elements in the unique way I do.

And you know what? That’s true for every single one of us.

Everyone has a superpower.

Our talents, our knowledge, our unique set of experiences? That’s our superpower. And it’s unique to us. (you can tweet that)

You have a superpower.

Because we’re all super. We’re all special. We all matter. All of our talents, knowledge and experience can be used to have a positive impact – in a way no one else can.

We can all be a superhero.

You.

Me.

All of us.

Embracing Your Inner Superhero

This concept makes me feel invincible. It makes me feel alive. It gives me confidence. And on a deeper level, it reminds me, maybe, of how God sees me.

As someone with infinite value and worth.

Maybe not invincible, but not alone.

Protected. Secure. Safe.

And loved beyond measure.

With unique talents given to help others.

Seeing myself as a superhero, with God the creator of my character, gives me so much confidence. It’s strange how these kind of metaphors can shape us, and inspire us.

Indeed, ironically enough, Christopher Reeve, who as Superman was my hero as a child, became one of my heroes as an adult too. He was paralysed from the neck down after a riding accident – but became a powerful advocate of research into helping disabled people walk again. And never gave up fighting, never allowed himself to get down. He faced the worst kind of suffering, and didn’t let it overwhelm him.

His disability, his experiences, actually became a superpower. He’s still one of my biggest heroes.

And his story shows that no matter what life throws at us, our talents and experiences can be superpowers. They can change the world.

So, what are your superpowers? And how are you using them?

Have a think.

And if you’re not using them, think on how you can. You never know where it might lead you.

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Question for Reflection:

What’s your superpower…and how are you using it?

Let me know in the comments below!

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(Picture Sources: BusinessInsider.com / ChrisReevehomepage.com)