What's Your Superpower?

Everyone desires to feel empowered, whether through some egoic identification, some skill or virtue they possess, or even some negative trait or disability. Everyone wants to think of themselves as a superhero with a superpower. Thus, you see people wearing T-shirts with words such as “I am a woman! What’s your superpower?” “Sewing is my superpower,” “Voting is my superpower,” “Sarcasm is my superpower,” and “Autism is my superpower.”

People know that they have been gifted with one or more unique talents or abilities that they were meant to use to fulfill their purpose in life. Those are their superpowers. Not using them or using them only for selfish purposes is like putting your money under a mattress instead of investing it. In the "Parable of the Talents," in Matthew 25:14–30, a master was leaving his house to travel, and, before leaving, entrusted money to his servants, according to the abilities of each man: one received five talents, the second two, and the third only one. After he returned, he asked his three servants for an account of the talents he entrusted to them. The first and the second servants put their talents to work and doubled them. He told them, “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” The third servant, however, had merely hidden his talent, burying it in the ground, and was punished by his master, who said, “Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

So, use your talents, your superpowers to do good. Teach others your skills and knowledge and thereby multiply them. Share your wisdom. Don’t hide your light under a basket. But remember, no matter how great your superpower or talent, it’s a gift from God, and it’s your secondary purpose in life. So don’t identify with it and don’t lose sight of your primary purpose or superpower. What is that? Just Being. I designed a T-shirt that really carries an empowering message: “Being is our superpower.” For when you are being present, totally aware in the now, you are in contact with the power of the universe that spins galaxies.

So, what is your superpower? Whatever it is, use it to expand God’s kingdom on Earth by investing it in selfless service. And always remember that Being is our primary superpower.