Written by Lucy McGehee
I was raised adoring superheroes. It was how I rolled. I was a nerd because it ran through my veins. My dad collected comics and he taught me everything I know. X-men, Justice League, Avengers, you name it and my dad knew it. He and I always had this infatuation with Batman.
Everything about him was just so intriguing. He had a great backstory, he was smart, rich with a cool butler, and wise. There was no reason not to like him. But as much as he was liked by everyone he was also hated. Batman was viewed by some as a misfit or vigilante who took the law into his own hands. If you read into it, Batman isn’t even really considered a superhero, because he could be viewed as an antihero. I could read and see exactly what he was doing to save the day, but the people in the story would be upset.
I feel like that Christians can sometimes relate to that. The world is your Gotham City. Sometimes it gets hard because people left and right don’t like the thought of us believing in Jesus. Some view it as hateful or limiting when we know it’s totally not. Romans 5:3-4 says, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that all suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” Jesus said there is no life as a Christian without persecution. He said we will be mocked for our beliefs, but the way we show our strength is by keeping it up. The more we endure the stronger we will be. You see, if we just snap we become like everyone else in the world. The world is cruel and our love for God and kindness is what should make us different. We should be set apart and make the right decisions. Even though the people around us may not understand why we do what we do, why we go to church, why we care so much, why we’re so hooked on saving people, etc., we are called to keep going. We are called to minister to the people that hate us.
It reminds me so much of what Alfred said to Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight, “Endure, Master Wayne. Take it. They’ll hate you for it, but that’s the point of Batman, he can be the outcast. He can make the choice that no one else can make, the right choice.”
Alfred is mostly the voice of reason in Bruce’s life. He has been with him from the beginning. When Bruce lost his parents Alfred was there to watch over him and give him anything he needed. Alfred in most scenarios is like God. I believe in Alfred-supremacy, so for the sake of my sanity he is God in this analogy. We as Christians are like Batman. We put ourselves out there and some love us and some hate us. In a nutshell we fight battles and beat the bad guys. Obviously negativity can do a great deal on our mental health and when we don’t know what to do or we feel lost we go to the one who always knows how to handle it. Because when you break down, the only one who can truly build you up and put you back on the right track is God. He steers us into the right direction to make the right decisions.
It’s like Paul. He was thrown in jail and tormented but didn’t die. He wasn’t just beaten by the Gentiles, he was also beaten by the Jews. Honestly, I think I would’ve given up, but he kept writing and preaching. He would not let people break him down and that is why he was such a prolific leader in Christianity. He saw miracles, he saved, and delivered the message. The world will not treat us kindly. It will throw words at us, make us feel small, and make us feel wrong, but our strength lies in our truth and character. We love our enemies for a reason. Batman doesn’t kill, because he doesn’t want to be like them, but also he always gives his foes a chance for redemption. My dad introduced me to Batman, and the writers didn’t show him as a flawless hero. They went into his flaws, because they wanted to show he is also human. I liked him because they didn’t try to make him perfect. He didn’t always save the day. Sometimes he fell short. Everyone makes mistakes. No one is telling you to be perfect, but instead to be ready. Be different and explore your uniquenesses. You are fearfully and wonderfully made, and no one can ever take that away from you. You can be the hero, but be ready to take upon knowledge of one. Be prepared. Be smart. Be Batman.
Writer Bio: Hi! My name is Lucy McGehee, I am 14 years old. I live in LA, but I’m moving to Sacramento. Im Korean-Irish and Italian. A little bit about me is I have two comedian parents, I play piano, and I play guitar. My dad taught me everything I know about comics. My favorite universe is DC, because they develop their characters really well. I love to watch Doctor Who, and the 10th Doctor rules! I’ve always been really into history, and I plan to major in it one day. I listen to a lot of different music. I’m pretty eclectic about my taste. Overall I think it’s cool to incorporate God into things I like, and I find myself being able to do it more and more.
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