Clark Kent and Christians

Found at cinefantastique.com. 

 
"It's another way of saying it's not from this world, and neither are you.  You are the answer to are we alone in the universe. ... You were sent here for a reason. ....When that day comes you're gonna have to make a choice.  A choice whether to stand proud in front of the human race or not."

"Can't I just pretend I'm your son?"

"You are my son.  But somewhere out there you have another father who gave you another name. And he sent you here for a reason Clark.  And even if it takes you the rest of your life you owe it to yourself to find out what that reason is."

A conversation between a young Clark Kent and Jonathon Kent in "Man of Steel."

As Christians we have a many similarities to Clark in this conversation.

1. We are not from this world. "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await our savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ."  Phil. 3:20  We are simply passing through, hopefully bringing others into the Kingdom as we do so.

2. We often to want to pretend that we are someone other than we are.  Think about it.  Read Paul's words in Romans 7:14-17.  We have this pull toward sin that we must fight regularly.  Yet sin is not our real identity.  "What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  BY NO MEANS! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?"  Romans 6:1 (emphases added).

3. We have a father who gave us another name.  Revelation 2:17 talks about a stone with a new name that will be given to those who follow Christ fully.  God actually has a special name just for you...and it will be just for you and Him to know!  That is how much He loves each of us.

4. We are sent here for a reason. Now, we don't owe it to ourselves to find that reason, but we owe it to our redeemer.  Romans 12 says we should be living sacrifices. 2 Timothy 3:17 states that we have the Bible to be prepared for every good work.  2 Corinthians 5:20 says we are "Christ's ambassadors as though God was making his appeal through us."

Identity

Who are you?  I am not asking how you view yourself or what you think your identity is, but who are you really?  Why do we love the characters we love?  For many it is that they know who they are.  The Doctor knows exactly who he is.  Sure, he still finds limits he didn't realize he had (or does not admit that he has).  But he never questions who he is.  Think about the difference in Clark in "Man of Steel".  He begins not knowing who he is.  He knows he has powers but he doesn't know exactly why.  Many of the flashbacks really are about him finding his identity.

When Loki is talking with his adopted mother in "Thor:The Dark World" she comments that he is "so perceptive about everyone but yourself".  Have you ever felt like that?  Do you see who everyone else is?

Right now identity is a big deal.  Many people are finding their identity in so many things.  Nerds try to find it in our hobbies and in our community.  But should our identity be in what we do?  I think for many of us it is not just in the hobbies themselves, but in the persona equated with the community around it.  We enjoy the community so much that we think our identity is all in this just because we enjoy this and feel safe there.

Genesis says that God looked at the first human he created and said "It is very good."  Then, later, after man fell, after many tried to gain something which could make him more like God, this same God stayed with us.  He loved us enough to send His son into the world to experience death on a cross solely to save us.  So, who are you?  Don't lie about it.  Be honest. 

Your identity is not in your hobbies or your actions or your relationships.  You might be tempted to think that it is in your sins and faults.  Although I encourage you to be honest in these, God sees much more in you! 

You are a child of God.  Simple as that.  As Kalel came from Jorel and the Doctor came from Gallifrey, we come from GOD!  Find yourself in Him.