The Long-Suffering Character of Super Heroes

I just watched Daredevil tonight (Ben Afflect and Jen Garner) and though it certainly was no Batman Begins it did leave me with some inspiration: the life of the Super Hero character type (the truly "good" Super Hero) is one of long-suffering. Daredevil will not kill Kingpin, Superman will not kill Lex Luthor, Dr Xavier will not kill Magneto (okay, now you know I am a true geek), and so on. Because the Super Hero embraces "the good" they are unable to finally put their nemesis to rest (a la Godfather, "sleeping with the fishes"). If they did, they would be acting contrary to character, and would thus cease to be either "hero" or "super." But as a result, their life is one of long-suffering.

But isn't this exactly what God calls us to do as well. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is long-suffering for his people. He sticks with humanity, when all others would have given up on us. Psalm 145:8-9 says, "The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made." God's character is that of long-suffering for his people, so that ultimately we "miserable offenders" could be saved. The Incarnation and Passion of the Christ clearly demonstrates this character.

And so, in imitation of our God and Father, we are called to be long-sufferers. You and I are called not to impatiently run over those in our way, or those who cause us discomfort or pain. We are called to suffer long. No wonder the great storytellers of my youth (DC Comics and Marvel) wrote this into their Super Heroes. Those authors heard that truth whispering in their ears: God is the long-sufferer. And so when they sought to inspire, they didn't rely on the costumes, the special abilities, or the art work (as cool as all that was). They inspired us by grasping after God's own character - they made their heroes long-sufferers. And that's why I'm hooked.