Secret Arts
Would you rather be Superman or a super hero?
You would think the two almost the same, wouldn't you? But a study by university psychologists shows that there is a big difference between the two when it comes to picturing ourselves in those roles.
Students told to write the characteristics of each faired differently in tasks, with the super hero group outperforming the Superman group.
It appears that people envision characteristics they could have when they think of super heroes, kindness, caring about others, persistence, etc. But when the group envision the qualities of Superman, those characteristics were unachievable, so they did not feel the extra motivation that the other group felt.
Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and of his officials he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the river, and all the water in the river was turned into blood, and the fish in the river died. The river stank so that the Egyptians could not drink its water, and there was blood throughout the whole land of Egypt. But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts; so Pharaoh's heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them; as the LORD had said. - Exodus 7:20-22
In today's reading, Moses and Aaron are trying to impress Pharaoh, showing him signs. They turn their staffs into snakes and turn the Nile into blood.
Those things sound pretty impressive to me, but we are told the magicians of Egypt could do the same with their secret arts.
I would think that very discouraging.
What it tells me is that no matter how special the powers or gifts I receive from God, it is possible others with no such gifts could nullify my actions.
Do I need to rely on more than special powers? Perhaps I need to think like a super hero, rather than a super man.
Some of the naysayers and skeptics of our faith point to such secret arts or science and use the laws of nature to counter the impact of miracles, and they may be right. There may be things we learn or will learn that will show us how Jesus healed the sick or cured the lame.
I hope we do. But I don't think the argument against our faith works. These signs we have are not the ends or even the means; they are examples of God's love for us.
In Gregory Boyle's book, Tattoos on the Heart, we learn of some really powerful AHA! moments of gang members in L.A., the young men and women of Boyle's Homeboy Industries, a ministry that turns gang members around and gives them meaningful jobs.
Father G, or G, as they call him, has developed a language of love that peels away the shame and guilt of a life alone, needing to be loved, and he provides space, security and time for them to realize something very special about themselves.
They are not only worthy of God's love, but they have been in the center of that love all along, and are only coming to see that after years of struggle.
Like the students who could accomplish more when they saw themselves as similar to super heroes, all of us can overcome all adversity when we see ourselves as loved by God.
These are the true secret arts, the arts of the heart. We all need to feel it, the love that God showers on us abundantly every day.
More to come...