Super Powers

I strongly believe, life is about finding the super power God has placed within us, and using that power to help lead others to Jesus.

Have you ever had a conversation with your kids and asked them the super power question? If you could have any super power, what would it be? Some people say to be invisible, to fly, or to have massive strength. If you think about it, we all have super powers! Some of our powers we have been given the day we took our very first breath as newborns. Some super hero powers, such as massive strength, need to be practiced and honed in to use the right way. They need to gain the skill of knowing just how much effort to take when using that strength. Sometimes, we are not aware of the power God has given us to lead others to Jesus, until we are right in the moment and vulnerable enough to use the power. It reminds me of how the relationship with a close friend of mine began. We met because our daughters were in the same grade. As we started talking we realized our connection of having family members struggle with mental health. As she shared about some tragic memories in her childhood, I just sat and listened to her intently. I began to use my words of encouragement and empathy as she shared some sensitive memories. I remember early on as she was so grateful for our conversation, I felt alive! I felt that I was created for that very conversation! As our relationship began to bloom, God allowed me to use skills I learned from college and Stephens Ministry training. I learned how to use those skills with just the right effort along with my god-given gift of words, to bear fruit and give Him glory by pointing my new friend towards Jesus. Stringing words together in communication and being bold enough to use them is my god-given gift, knowing when and how to use them effectively is a learned skill!

Have you ever felt alive like that? Is there a time you were so alive you knew that moment you were meant to be there? Maybe you’ve had the experience of coaching, and though your love for sports drove your ambition to help kids, it was the moment they finally grasped the skill they had been practicing that made you feel alive.

Those moments are when God has ignited the super power within us! The times you feel the most accomplishment or the most proud of the effort you put forth, are the times we are using the God-given abilities we have been given! Those gifts partnered with our learned experiences and skills are what makes us moms, super heroes! I can hear some of you now, I’m not super. If only you saw the ways I’ve failed as a mom this week, you wouldn’t call me a super hero. Boy have I been there, like the times I’ve yelled with sharp spearing words that hit their heart. The problem with being a mom, is that we sometimes don’t see the accomplished end result of our effort, until YEARS later! All we see are several failures that add to our mountain of must-do better tomorrow!

But did you know we all have a super power in us that we need to practice the skill of using more? My oldest daughter has really been into the Avengers series this month! It always amazes us how each hero has many different tools they whip out at just the right moment. So what’s the super power we all hold onto and hardly use? Asking for help from the fellow cape-adorned moms in our community; yes, if learned appropriately, is the greatest skill we will gain in our lifetime. I’m willing to bet that right now as you are reading this, you can think of an area you are struggling in as a mom. Maybe its a behavior one of your kiddos is exhibiting and you are just at your whits end of dealing with. I would encourage you first to pray about it. To pray that God put the right person in your path that might have some helpful insight into how to help you. He works miracles and I’m certain that moments after praying about it, you will run into the right mom whether at the grocery store or the park. You need to practice the skill of asking the question to help you solve the problem.

While we are on the subject of problem solving, I read an article this week that taught on how to teach our kids to be problem solvers. Who could use that? I don’t know about you, but when my kids were younger, I was constantly solving problems and putting out fires.

“She took my toy”

“I’m hungry”

“My sock doesn’t fit right”

“He got applesauce on my shoes” Oh ya, we’ve had them all!

I know as moms we wish we could have super stretching power like elastigirl from The Incredibles, who could extend her arms as far as she needed, to grab her kids and keep them away from each other! We are stretched thin that’s for sure! So why not have the kids solve the problems. I hear you laughing now, but the article (link below) I have posted in our Guiding The Archer Pinterest page will impact you to start asking the right questions to your kids, to encourage them to solve their own problems. Giving you the time to pray to Jesus, asking for the right person to be put into your path, and thanking him for the opportunity to serve him using our skills as cape-adorned super heroes!

How to Teach Problem Solving