We Are God’s X-Men
I think most of us are familiar with the premise of the X-Men comics and movies, which is that some people are born with a certain gene that gives them superhuman abilities. These abilities make themselves manifest as the children begin to mature. They go to a school where they go to learn how to use and control their gifts. Some use the gifts for good and others not. This summary is sufficient to make my point and provide context for my thoughts today.
What most of us fail to recognize is that we are born with, or can develop, God-like abilities because we are the offspring of God the Father. Our spiritual genes are of divine origin. As we mature spiritually, these gifts make themselves manifest. The special school that we attend is of our making, in the sense that we use spiritual resources like faith, study, prayer, thought, and service to discover and hone our special abilities.
It is fair to say that none of us have discovered the full potential of our abilities. Each time I have discovered my spiritual gifts was when I was serving in an assigned calling in the church. I had no idea or intention to become good at speaking, teaching, or writing. I am not the best at any of these things, but in certain instances, miracles have manifested themselves in ways I could never have imagined. Because I have experienced the manifestation of gifts in myself, I am confident that they are present in each of us.
I can’t say that any of this surprises me because of my confidence in Heavenly Father. I learned at a very early age that God is involved in our lives. The example of faith-filled parents and grandparents had a massive influence on the way I perceived the world. Being taught to trust in the promises of God to his children makes me see beyond the moment and the temporary nature of mortality. If seeing with our eyes is believing, feeling with our hearts is knowing.
Discovering or desiring spiritual gifts requires us to use more than our physical senses and sensibility. Spiritual superpowers are available to each of us if we desire them for good. I think that is why doing good is so important. I could rightfully say that these gifts come by the grace of God, but I can confidently say that grace comes by our willingness to accept and act upon it.
These gifts are of no effect if we do not have charity or the pure love of Christ. (1 Corinthians 13)This is where the X-Men analogy falls apart. Spiritual gifts can exclusively be used for good, and for no other reason. Any of us who possess gifts and thinks that we can receive some worldly accolades because of them will be sorely disappointed when we fall flat on our faces in an attempt to use them for any other purpose than building God’s Kingdom.
Acknowledging the giver of our gifts is another vital aspect of receiving and obtaining more from the Spirit. In my experience, each time a gift makes itself manifest, I marvel that God can use me to convey the Holy Spirit to a group or individual. It adds to my conviction of the reality of a loving Father in Heaven. This personal witness motivates me to continue to use and strengthen them.
Spiritual superpowers are not limited to a list that we read about in the scriptures. Some that I have seen in my family that are not on the list; love, patience, calmness, tender-hearted, steadiness, stubbornness, willingness to serve, internally motivated, humility, kindness, happiness, determination, and the list could go on. These gifts result in feelings of love, comfort, and security in our home. The same holds true in our church meetings. Each person comes with their gifts, and all are edified. None of these spiritual gifts are trivial because they build upon each other, with miraculous results.
Take some time to evaluate your gifts and ponder on others you would like. Then, put yourself in a position to use them.