JR. Forasteros - July 6, 2014
Obadiah
In the face of tragedy, will we be agents for healing, or will we stand by and do nothing? The answer isn't found in the moment of the tragedy, but in the choices we make leading up to it. God spoke to Obadiah in the wake of the most devastating tragedy in Israel's history - the Babylonian conquest of Judah. Obadiah addressed not God's people, but their neighbors, the Edomites, who refused to aid Judah, and even aided the Babylonians in sacking Jerusalem. In God's warning to them, we hear a similar warning to enact justice now, in the small, every day choices we make.
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Can I introduce you to my favorite Superhero?
It’s not Batman (I know, this is big news for many of you. Honestly, it surprised me too!). But in the last couple of years, a new hero has taken first place in my heart. Her name is Doreen Green, aka the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl.
Doreen has all the powers of a squirrel and a girl, including a tail, super-strength and the power of friendship. Doreen is also a computer science major at Empire State University. And while she’s not afraid to kick butts and eat nuts, the reason I love her is that she nearly never has to. She uses her brains to fight crime – and often invites criminals to become better versions of themselves.
Take the time she fought Rhino from Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Issue #17. Rhino has just stolen some shoes, and Squirrel Girl busts him. The fight ends without a fight: Rhino leaves, repentant of his crime and committed to live up to the person Doreen sees in him.
I love this moment not only because it’s hilarious, but because it’s true in the sense that the best stories are true. Too many of us know what it’s like to be the Rhino, to feel like everyone who sees us see something unlovable – at least if they get to know us well enough.
The idea that someone could swoop into our lives and see not a rhino but a unicorn sounds too good to be true (like maybe it could only happen in a comic book). But friends, we’re all unicorns. Jesus sees the unicorn in us. Like Squirrel Girl, Jesus reveals our truest selves, the person we were created to be. Jesus sees through the thick skins we wear to protect ourselves from the world and he calls us to be our truest selves.
Even better, once we have stepped into the light of Jesus’ truth, we are able to see others’ true selves.
