Non-Fiction Super Hero

Last night, lured by the promise of ice cold air conditioning, friends and some good old fashioned escapism, I made my way to the movie theater to watch "Avengers."  The big screen did not disappoint, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  Afterwards, we all went around and said who our favorite Avenger was.

Mine is Thor.  He is, well, ruggedly handsome.  He has a strong sense of family, duty, leadership and purpose.  He has a kind and forgiving heart and repeatedly reaches out to his spiteful brother.  He doesn't have the snappy one liners of Iron Man, or the moody demeanor of the Hulk, but he's my Avenger because he just seems to me like a good all around (albeit fictional) man.

While I am not going to let my son watch this movie until he is much older, I appreciate role models such as this presented in the media.  Quite frequently I find men are portrayed as the exact opposite.  Instead of heroic and good, they are portrayed as bumbling and stupid.  Instead of strong leadership tempered with kindness and understanding, they are shown to be weak and selfish.  For these reasons, I'd much rather let my son watch "The Avengers" than "According to Jim," or "The King of Queens" or even "Everybody Loves Raymond."

My friend dropped me off and I made my way into our little house.  The home I stepped into was not much different than the one I left a few hours earlier, save for one very important thing: it was cool.

My husband had spent his evening testing, cleaning and installing more air conditioning units and fans.  He had changed the baby and tucked 5 kids into bed.  He took out the trash for morning pick up and waited patiently for me to come home so he could run to the store (at midnight) to pick up some things for tomorrow.

My non-fiction Superhero doesn't have long blond hair and a magical hammer, but he's got the character thing down:  no job is beneath him, no person less important, no problem unsolvable.  He sees a need and fills it.  He speaks love to me in his own language and when I stop to truly listen, I'm blown away by how beautiful he is.  He doesn't wear a breastplate of metal but he puts on the full armor of God and steps right into His purposes: strong leadership tempered with service.  Faithfully devoted with kindness and warmth and passion for making our world better.  He's not perfect, but he continues to aim high.

I'll take the flesh and blood Superhero, thanks.  The one with the baby on his back in the grocery store.  The one with the pizza place on speed dial.  The one wrestling a whole pack of boys on the living room rug.  Who needs the Avengers when you live with a Superhero every day?