Wed 4 Apr 2007
The Last Son of Krypton
The following is from the book, Transition: Breaking Through the Barriers.
Having grown up with a poor self-view and low self-worth, I found myself looking for something to fill the void within me. I found Clark Kent. He was always described as mild-mannered, a pushover who didn’t walk with confidence, a timid soul who looked on the skinny side by the way that he dressed. His greatest distinguishing feature was his glasses – thick framed and giving the perception of poor vision.
This basically described me. But Clark had a secret: he’s not from around here. Beneath that phony exterior of a muffled existence beats the heart that screams power and possibility! He was Superman – indestructible, the wielder of unimaginable strength, able to leap over a building in a single bound and fly into the farthest regions of outer space. He’s gifted with heightened senses and his eyes can produce heat and x-rays! Bullets bounce off his chest and he can bend steel in his bare hands! When others are paralyzed with fear and are unable to get the job done – you could always count on Superman to fly in unafraid and handle the situation. He couldn’t be hurt by human means and could move at super speed as well as stand in the center of the sun if he wished! His only weakness was one substance… Kryptonite. But it’s effects were often few and far in between.
I wanted to be him. So what he was fictional – a character that did not exist? So what he was not the color of my skin. His “human” persona was me – and I used to dream that, like him, I was strong and chiseled underneath my weak exterior and could rise to any challenge when I needed to. I used to dream of flying through the sky (I still dream this dream). I was looking for an image, for a glory I could become that was so far beyond the ordinary that I was…
I adopted his persona – the “Black Clark Kent” is what my college friends called me. I even created a Christian Superhero character, for my college television class – had a suit made and would often wear it underneath my clothes when we weren’t filming. Just the though of knowing I had a secret, worn beneath my business suit gave me great pleasure and apparent worth. I spent so much of my time dreaming – hoping – praying I could be him – that somehow I was different from everyone else on earth – that somehow my life counted – that it meant something – that somehow I was put here on earth to do what others could not do – that somehow I was special…
No one really knows this struggle that raged inside of me – but now you will once you read this. Yes, even in graduate school, my friends started calling me Superman. I had all of the paraphernalia that showed I was a fan. But like Clark, I held my struggle close to me in secret. I will admit – I even gave serious thought to having my name legally changed to Clark. I remember one time, I called home and my brother gave the phone to my mother saying “It’s Clark Kent.” I was astonished that she knew who I was, and her reply was “Who else could it have been?”
So in graduate school, one day, after having multiple Superman shirts; a ring; cufflinks; comic books and videotapes – the Lord God of heaven and earth speaks to me – “Superman has become your idol.”
Talk about heavy words! I almost buckled under their weight. After all, I did consider myself a Christian – a follower of Jesus Christ. But the bible says “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” And God is after our hearts. The myth had become truth to me and I was guilty of building my life upon a false foundation.
I had asked the same questions, all my life, that Clark did: “Who am I? Why am I here?” The base struggles we both shared. But up until now, I never realized that in seeking after his image, I would never discover who I was meant to be… who I could and would become. In truth, I could never be Kal-El – Clark – Superman. I could never share in his lineage. I could never be… him. A few moments passed and I knew where my heart was: Kal-El was my savior – but he couldn’t save me. I had placed my trust in him, desired to be remade in his image and yet he was made with human hands – created by another man – could only do amazing feats on paper, the television, and movie screen. And the truth was, that although in word I still spoke Christ… my heart was far from Him. In my actions I had begun to serve a human creation and turned it into something it was never made to be… a false god.
I had rejected the True SUPERMAN – Jesus Christ – the God-Man. For it was in His image that I was made. I didn’t need to believe in fiction when the truth was more amazing than anything written in comic books!
More moments passed and then I threw out all of my Superman stuff, repented to God and vowed never again to seek my self-worth in a human invention… “Lord”, I prayed, “fill the void that is within me. You know how much I like comics.” Shortly thereafter, my brother sent me a t-shirt with a Superman shield – but with a “J” in the middle. On the back it said “Jesus Christ.” And I had not said a word to anyone about the situation! I realized then that the Ultimate Hero was not the Last Son of Krypton – but the ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD! My liberation had begun and shortly after this, I discovered a new line of Christian comics with a great storyline and tremendous artwork! I thank God for these two blessings that transformed my life!
So now I seek to know Christ. And amazingly enough, He says I can be like Him! He says we all can, if we’d just receive Him as our LORD and Savior. This is why He came – to save us… to restore us back to the former glory that was ours from the start, before we were deceived by that dark one – Satan - and fell from our holy and happy state of existence.
God shares with me, through His Holy Spirit and His Word the TRUTH about my creation – that I was formed with purpose – for a reason – unique on this planet to accomplish His mission in me – gifted with natural and supernatural ability – reflected glory like the moon reflects the sun… Christ calls me the light of the world… I am the salt of the earth… And I am a redeemed son of God – a citizen of heaven – a lamb that is both mild-mannered and a roaring lion!
God’s heart is always saddened when we give worship to any created thing. For we were meant to worship only Him – we all need to check our heart and mind… So as I seek to fulfill my purpose for living – I no longer look to the Last Son of Krypton but rather to the ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD. In life, the ultimate truth is greater than any fiction.
Transition: Breaking Through the Barriers, p. 203
Author, Allen Paul Weaver III
IUniverse copyright 2006
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