Today I was driving down the road after stopping at the mall where I picked up my copy of the Smallville soundtrack "The Talon Mix" and found a good Smallville book at the bookstore. As you can guess, I love the series. A friend of mine has noticed that all of my articles here have one-word titles which relates to the series where all episodes have one-word titles.

But as I was leaving I saw a car with a banged-up rear. I thought to myself first off "Geez. That's a bad driver obviously." But then it occurred to me, why should I think that? One can be the best driver in the world sitting at a red light and someone rams him from behind. Does that mean he's a bad driver because he got rammed? Absolutely not!

But how often have we taken that to be the point. Because one is strong in their faith does that mean they should never doubt their faith? I'm a hard person for trust so assurance of salvation is a topic I often ponder. What would lead me to doubt you might wonder? I would say simply that I do seem to have a lot of damage on me. Some of it is my own fault of course. Some isn't.

But watching that today made me think more about that. If the best doctor in the world came down with an incurable disease, would that make him any less the best doctor in the world? Absolutely not! Maybe I'm not alone in looking at the Christian life this way either.

Only an hour later after having worked out at the gym and going down the road listening to my new CD did I hear the song "Superman" by "Five for Fighting." I'd heard it at work before as elevator music but never really listened to it too much. I just knew it seemed like a good song. In listening to it, I heard the words put in the mouth of Superman. I've gone to Letssingit.com and copied and pasted the words. Read them and think about Superman saying this.

I can't stand to fly

I'm not that naive

I'm just out to find

The better part of me

I'm more than a bird...

I'm more than a plane

I'm more than some pretty face beside a train

And it's not easy to be me

Wish that I could cry

Fall upon my knees

Find a way to lie

About a home I'll never see

It may sound absurd...

but don't be naive

Even Heroes have the right to bleed

I may be disturbed...but won't you concede

Even Heroes have the right to dream

It's not easy to be me

Up, up and away...away from me

Well it's all right...

You can all sleep sound tonight

I'm not crazy...or anything...

I can't stand to fly

I'm not that naive

Men weren't meant to ride

With clouds between their knees

I'm only a man in a silly red sheet

Digging for kryptonite on this one way street

Only a man in a funny red sheet

Looking for special things inside of me

inside of meinside of me

Yeah, inside meinside of me

I'm only a manin a funny red sheet

I'm only a manlooking for a dream

I'm only a manin a funny red sheet

and its not easy, ooooo, ooooo, ooooo...

Its not easy to be me    

Maybe sometimes you've looked at the Man of Steel yourself and thought about what it would be like to be him but today I got a new view of him. I realized it was the view I've always enjoyed in Smallville. Seeing Clark Kent grow up I realize in many ways he's a guy just like me.

Clark Kent grows up and he has a secret. We all have our Superman secrets I think. Clark Kent just wants to do the right thing. I'd say deep down we're all like that. I can also relate that Clark is a very shy person. Maybe sometimes we'd all like to open up but don't know who to trust. Imagine being Clark Kent! Wouldn't you every now and then when the beautiful Lana Lang came by want to show off by bench-pressing a tractor? He watches though as Lana is with another guy who treats him like dirt. (granted the other guy is dead in the series now but that's the way it was.)

Then I look at Clark and I look at the car and I think I'm not so bad after all. The damage is with me. It's there. But I must be like Paul and forget what is behind. Last night my pastor talked about that passage to a couple saying Paul obviously had some past sin in his life haunting him. (The murder of numerous Christians perchance?)

Wow! I've got some in my past as well! Both before and after Christ. (though I can think of more after sadly probably because I was more aware of my sin nature then and I don't remember much really before 11.) But hey, if I'm in company with Paul, that's good company.

I think to the passage where Paul wrote to Timothy and said "Christ Jesus came to save sinners of whom I AM the worst." Someone told me they think Paul was just exaggerating but I really don't. I think Paul just looked at the cross and when you look at the cross you can't say "Well I'm a pretty good guy." You can only look at it and say "I'm the worst!" You can't praise yourself at the cross.

So take comfort. Maybe if some of you thought I was impeccable, I'm not. You're not alone if you're going through struggles. We all are. Take heart. Having damage doesn't meant you're not on the right path.

In the words of May Parker to Peter Parker (A.K.A. Spider-Man) in the movie classic of 2002 Spider-Man, "You're not Superman you know."