“Think about it, we are all made “Imago Dei”…in the image of God. I have to pause at that statement and really let it sink in.”
In every single person, greatness lies dormant. Think about it, we are all made “Imago Dei”…in the image of God. I have to pause at that statement and really let it sink in. Every single person we come in contact with on a daily basis is made in the image of our invisible Creator. The worth of human beings is infinite because of who made them. Every face, every pair of eyes we look into was formed exclusively by God Himself.
I live with Superman. His name is Rick and although he doesn’t wear a cape and tights, he is no less Superman to me. To explain how I ended up married to Superman when I thought I had Clark Kent, I have to go back a few decades.
“However, a wrench was thrown into my plans when Jesus came into the middle of my mess and saved my soul.”
We were married over 30 years ago and back then, I thought he was very lucky to have me. I undervalued him and treated him pretty horribly. Why? Because I felt superior to him. Ultimately, my superiority complex led us to divorce court where I told the judge he cheated on me (it was a lie but it meant I didn’t have to wait that pesky year for the divorce to be final). You see, I already had plans to marry someone else that was my equal, had a Mercedes and was going to make me happy. However, a wrench was thrown into my plans when Jesus came into the middle of my mess and saved my soul. He sent me back to my husband to remarry him.
“I took the gift of salvation but didn’t get into the Bible and let God transform me.”
Now, I had Jesus and my superiority complex to bless my husband with. In other words, (in my own mind) I now had the Creator of the universe on my side to move my husband to become all I wanted him to be…for my benefit. I did not realize I felt that way at the time. I only knew I had become a Christian and scripture made it clear God hated divorce and wanted us reconciled.
The Holy Spirit was now in me but He didn’t have full possession. Therefore, I was armed and dangerous. I took the gift of salvation but didn’t get into the Bible and let God transform me. I made it my mission to save the world and my husband.
Salvation is the beginning of a long life of transformation. I got busy being busy when Jesus saved me instead of getting alone with Him and buckling up for His transforming power to work inside of me. I became Rick’s judge and jury and tried to force him to change, be a spiritual leader, and help see all of his faults. How did I have so much free time to see him that way? I didn’t spend time with God, I spent time trying to change not only him but others also.
“If we ever get alone with God on a real level, we will see the problem is us and no one else.”
I learned an amazing truth through this. People who try to control others actions are not living by the Spirit, but are living by their own power. How can I say this confidently? Because people living by the power of their flesh will try to control and change others behavior. If we ever get alone with God on a real level, we will see the problem is us and no one else. We will be so overwhelmed with our own inability and unworthiness we won’t see others as inferior.
This happened to me and God spoke a powerful truth to me through it. There is a scripture about a church in the book of Revelation that says,
“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!”
Revelation 3:15
I was doing dishes one night and God opened a truth up to my mind. I believe He said to me, “I have more respect for Rick than you. He is cold and I prefer it. At least he isn’t pretending to be something he’s not. You are lukewarm.”
“God’s Word is so perfect and if we will obey what it says (by faith) regardless of feelings, God will give us the feelings we long for.”
Only God can tell us devastating truth and make us happy all at the same time. His truth makes us free. His truth gets us over our stupid superiority complexes that make us miserable and hard to live with.
Now, I can tell you how I started to realize I lived with Superman. When I invited God to do a deep work in my soul, He opened my eyes to the worth of the man He had given me as a gift. I saw him through the eyes of my God whose image he bore. God took the time to knit him together in his mother’s womb and his soul was fragile and needed my love and respect. I repented of how I had seen myself in comparison and thanked God for opening my eyes. I had only seen his shortcomings and not his qualities that were beautiful.
I wasn’t raised in a home where two people valued each other, I was raised with lots of snide remarks, manipulation and tension. Those things don’t easily die in any of us. I started to meet with God daily and beg him to mold and shape me into the image He created me to be. As an act of worship to God, I began to treat my husband as if he was the greatest human on the face of the earth. He didn’t care about spiritual things but God showed me that wasn’t my problem or responsibility. I was only to love him, submit to him, and win him over without words (this is very hard for a woman, we have lots of words).
God’s Word is so perfect and if we will obey what it says (by faith) regardless of feelings, God will give us the feelings we long for. Unfortunately, we want feelings first and that’s not God’s way. His way requires faith.
“God knew I was married to Superman all along but I didn’t.”
Early on, this took lots of effort, prayer, and frustration on my part. As I watched God move on my behalf, it got easier. I decided I would never allow my children or family to speak an unkind word about my husband in my presence, and I vowed to always have his back (big step for a former gossip lover).
Now I’m a quarter of a century into this life and I live with Superman. My husband is my best friend and my hero. He would fight and die for me and our children and grandchild. He serves us and loves us on a level that I never knew was possible. He waits for me to get home in the evening. We eat together, sit on the porch together, watch tv together, and go to bed together. I always want his arms around me as I fall asleep at night.
God knew I was married to Superman all along but I didn’t. He gave me the keys to unlock Rick’s greatness in plain sight through scripture.
“Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.”
1 Peter 3:1-2
Most women will never live with Superman because they won’t do what God says to do toward their husbands. They will manipulate, pout, belittle and destroy their man. After the fall, God told Eve “her desire would be for her husband,” meaning she will desire to rule him.
Many reading this will say, “You don’t know my husband.”
To that I will say, “You don’t know my God.”
*disclaimer-hopefully anyone reading this who is in an abusive relationship will reach out to the police, pastor or a friend. You are not living with Superman and you can’t change that, you need to seek safety.
