If you were approached by a superhero genie who could grant you one wish for any superpower, what would you ask for? It may seem like a strange question, but seriously, take a moment and think about it. What superpower would you want?

My first thought is to ask for something I could use in the battle between good and evil. Like the ability to open people’s minds to understand truth versus lies. But then I think of all of the repercussions that could come from that superpower. The very sad and uncomfortable moments when a friend asks, “Do these jeans make my butt look big?” Or “I just got my hair done, what do you think?” How crushing it would be if they heard the true interpretation of, “Maybe another pair would show off your legs better.” Or the silent thought, “You paid money for that?” No, I don’t think it’s a good superpower. It could be manipulated to hurt the ones we love. And we’ve seen enough movies to know what happens then. There would have to be a sequel.

So after careful review, which took a lot more time than I care to admit, my superpower wish would be… drum roll, please… to fly.

Can you imagine? I’ve never really thought about having the ability to fly because it isn’t possible. But now that I am thinking about it, how cool would it be to straighten our cape, push off once and then take off into the sky? Talk about the ultimate rush! I would love it! As long as we’re merely playing around. But because we’re now superheroes with this power (yes, I’m making the assumption that you asked for the same superpower today), we’d have to use it in the infamous battle of good v. evil. So once we take the first leap to go save someone, how would we know where we’re going? Internal GPS wasn’t an option with the “one wish” plan. Neither was the ultrasonic hearing that allows us to distinguish the voices of those in distress. And jiminy cricket the commercial airliners aren’t respecting our airspace! Maybe having only one superpower with no augmenting side-powers wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

But so many of us still want to fly! Just once, we’d like to truly soar. To break free of the limitations that hold us down. To break free of everything that holds us back.

What would it be like? Jumping from an airplane, feeling the wind beneath us as we plummet with a bird’s eye view, that’s pretty close. Floating quietly in a hot air balloon over the tree tops as deer and fox scatter below (balloons actually go a lot faster than I thought they would), that’s pretty close too. Hang gliding from cliffs and following the flight plan of the birds, that has to be similar. And the closest thing we know of today, donning a birdman wing suit and catapulting from the mountaintops, now that’s the ultimate flying experience.

Or is it?

All of these are short-lived moments of escape. Of adventure. Of thrill and adrenaline. And in each one of them we’re actually being pulled down by the power of gravity. We’re not mounting up on wings like eagles. We’re not soaring. We’re falling.

Don’t get me wrong. All of our flying options (except maybe the birdman wing suit––I’ve only seen it on TV) are amazing experiences where for a short time we can feel the freedom of flight. But they don’t allow us to rise up. They don’t help us to rise above. For those of us trying to rise above real life, we have to find a way to soar. Not fall.

And God tells us how.

By tapping into His power. By allowing Him to be the wind beneath our wings that lifts us to new heights. By placing our hope securely in Him because His character will never change. By actively waiting so He can renew our strength and prepare us for the new season ahead.

We don’t have the power to fly. But those who trust in God and wait for Him will soar like never before. And even if it’s for a short period of time, nothing compares to flying the highs of life with God Himself.

I can fly!

“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles.” Isaiah 40:31

May I pray?

Lord, oh how we’d like to fly! What freedom! Help us to see that we can in fact taste that freedom. If we let go of all that weighs us down. If we place our hope in You. Not in ourselves. Not in someone else. But in You alone. And when we hope in You, our perspective changes. Our chains are loosened. Our strength returns. And we’re free to jump into Your arms and fly! May today be the day that we take our first flying lesson with You. Thank You that Your desire is for us to fly too. Amen.

Q4U: If you were approached by a superhero genie who could grant you one wish for any superpower, what would you ask for and why?