And, reality sucks.
Marvelous Man and the Sheriff from Eureka, Colin Ferguson, is the superman that every man dreams of being. He has super strength, flight, charisma, agility, everything that makes a man super. But, this clip reveals a life un-super. Although Marvelous Man has become marvelous in the sight of the world, his family has become a disaster zone.
His wife can't take care of herself or her children, his kids do not know what morality is, and his role as a father remains consistently vacant.
Somewhere along the way, Marvelous Man had a choice to make.... the world or his family... he left his family dry.
With the words "Do better next time," he remains optimistic, but still vacant.
He knows that lives are hanging in the balance, but he misses the fact that his family is hanging in the balance right now.
He took an oath to love and protect the people of Earth as if they were his own family. But, it seems as if he has begun to love and protect the people of Earth instead of his family.
This time of year is finals week for a lot of people, their grades are hanging in the balance. And, even in the busy world outside of finals week, there is no time available. There's work or school or other obligations that come up. It's hard to find time to be with people. You hardly get to see your friends let alone your family.
Still, we are called to have a life of balance. Many of our vocations must be a both/and... not an either/or. Specifically in Scripture, in the book of 1 Timothy where there is a list of suggestions for those who would be in charge of overseeing the church, one of the highlights is to be a man who "must manage his own household well, with all dignity." The overseers church is not only for his own benefit or the benefit of his office, but a benefit to those he oversees as an example of what life should be.
Many times the Pastor/Overseer feels that lives are hanging in the balance. He's set sail with his church's new projects and the wind of the Spirit is on his back, pushing him along at tremendous speeds. He doesn't realize that his family has already fallen overboard. The same can happen in any vocation.
My professor of Pastoral Ministry admitted that his life had been like that. He was highly involved with his church. A lot of beautiful things were happening, they were hungry for the Word, they were growing tremendously, and they kept adding more and more things to the church. It was a dream job for many church leaders.
And, then God called him away. He went to another church, a different setting.
Then, one day as he was wrestling around with his daughters after work, his wife couldn't help but say, "It's so nice to have a father back." He had not even noticed the sacrifice of his family for the church.
His role had been vacant for far too long.
But, even when we do realize this, even when we go back for a course correction, we must be careful. Marvelous Man, in this clip, flies back home to be with his family at the end. Unwittingly, he sacrifices his cause.
Whenever we course correct, it's tempting to go too far. We leave what we're doing completely behind in order to bring back the balance. Some way, it is necessary to gradually move back. Otherwise, we'll drop the plane that we're saving, the lives we're helping, in order to go back to the people we've been neglecting.
Especially at this time, as we're stressed out with school and finals. And, any time as we're pressured with work and life. It's important to remember both of our vocations... not just one or the other... It's important to remain involved with both... not neglecting one or the other. To be part of your family, to be with your friends, and still be able to be a student, a worker, and whatever else you may be called to be.
And, imagine, the strength of God, to be both the Good Shepard and the Pascal Lamb... the Glorified Lord and the Suffering Servant... the Supreme Judge and the Peaceful Mediator... the Appeasing Sacrifice and the Aaronic Blessing.
Through Christ we can be all things to all people. And, with the Holy Spirit we may hope that by all means some might be saved.
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