A real superhero

Superman just hit theaters nationwide, "faster than a speeding bullet." And while not all viewers are able to "leap tall buildings in a single bound" to get the best seats, no shortage of enthusiasm exists.

The whole concept of a superhero got me to thinking about what I look up to and value in individual character. Do I place importance on physical strength and acute material senses or on qualities of thought that constitute one's true nature and abilities?

My thought turns naturally to Christ Jesus, the greatest man who ever actually walked this earth. He is a real hero to me in every sense of the word.

He acknowledged that the qualities that constituted his heroism came from his Father-Mother God. Recognizing the Supreme Being as his source, he openly admitted, "I can of mine own self do nothing" (John 5:30). This humility and Christliness gave all the glory to God and further encouraged those who followed him to do greater works than he.

He also had the spiritual discernment that allowed him to look at a man or woman and see the expression of God's likeness – of Life, Truth, and Love. Mary Baker Eddy, in her book "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," must have perceived the value of this when she wrote: "Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour saw God's own likeness, and this correct view of man healed the sick" (pp. 476-477).

Think of what this did for those who came in contact with him. By dropping a limited mortal view of themselves in favor of a true picture of their stainless selfhood, they found liberty from all types of bondage – physical, financial, mental, to name a few.

Further, Jesus' spiritual sense allowed him to hear the voice of God clearly and to detect the fear and skepticism of those around him in order to calm the thought. He lifted one's consciousness to perceive that God met their specific need. This, too, led to healing of acute and chronic diseases, and raising the dead.

Also, Jesus possessed the strength of his conviction that God is All, which allowed him to withstand every kind of temptation and every form of evil. His purely spiritual strength didn't depend on muscle. It could never be worn out, because it drew from an infinite reservoir, God.

Mary Baker Eddy characterized its promise when she said, "The best spiritual type of Christly method for uplifting human thought and imparting divine Truth, is stationary power, stillness, and strength; and when this spiritual ideal is made our own, it becomes the model for human action" (Retrospection and Introspection," p. 93).

Jesus was indeed a man of action. His words and deeds healed the sick and the sinner, calmed the storm, fed the multitudes, raised the dead, and set Christianity in motion.

Following this "hero" has led to real and tangible healing in a whole host of areas including physical maladies, relationship issues, financial challenges, unemployment, and, most important, a more spiritual perspective on life.

Living by the Apostle Paul's admonition to the Philippians to "let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5) packs a lot of punch.

Thine, O Lord, is
the greatness, and the power,
and the glory, and the victory,
and the majesty: for all that is
in the heaven and in the earth
is thine; thine is the kingdom,
O Lord, and thou art exalted
as head above all.

I Chronicles 29:11