New Superpower?!?

"If you could have any superpower, what would you choose?" is a common get-to-know-you question we've all probably been asked a dozen times.  I urge you to take a second to think about it.  What's YOUR answer? Why?

I've never really had a great answer.  I just chose something random, moved on and changed the topic.  However, I finally have thought of an answer!  I wish that I had the superpower to maintain and manage an infinite number of relationships (with the assumption I would magically be supplied with the necessary amount of time and energy to accomplish such a task). 

After having been in Korea for five months, I spent a week and a half visiting home over Christmas.  What a blessing it was to catch up with friends and family!  The conversation, the food, and the time that I've shared with each person has been uplifting, enjoyable and refreshing.  Thank you.  

Along with the happiness of rekindling old relationships, there was an ever-so-slight weight I felt from the social responsibilities.  Maybe the reason I felt tension was from the fact, whether true or not, my whole identity seems to be found in my Korean residency.  Or maybe it was because I explained the same thing over and over again.  Or maybe I feel exhausted from my time at home because I'm not a superhero with limitless energy.  I could write a separate blog post about finding my identity in Christ or the exhorbatant amount of patience a teacher needs to repeat the same things multiple times, but my money (and the purpose of my blog today) is on this last reason, even if it most likely is a combination of all three and more.

I'm an introverted extrovert.  Spending time with people does energize me. I love hanging out with friends!  On the other hand, time alone is necessary for me to stay sane.  The way I felt at the end of my time at home is hard to describe.  Meeting with many, many people is something I value, but was tiring.  You introverts probably know what I'm talking about, and you extroverts are probably lost.  Six or seven days into my trip home, I was ready for a real vacation and worn out.  It's at this time that I had the epiphany of what my chosen super power would be.  If I could maintain a countless (this is actually the more accurate math vocabulary since it would be a discrete number) number of relationships, I would not have felt the way I did and would've had enough energy to power through with flying colors. 

Enter God.  It always seems to happen that God starts working when I'm at my weakest.   The Spirit was convicting me of my desire for an extravagant superpower.  I could feel Him saying things like: "I have unending love and energy I can give you. Share this."  "Rely on me."  "You aren't alone, and you don't have to do this by yourself."  How comforting to know that I don't have to sit here and wish or imagine what it would be like to have a superpower.  It's normal to feel exhausted, and when I do God is right there with me supplying me with His energy.  Being in relationship and communion with Him, I can do all and unimaginable things with His strength.  (Phil 4:13 and Eps 3:20-21)

I'm not saying it's wrong to talk about superpowers.  But when a desire like that is taking the place of Christ, your focus might need to be realigned.  I sincerely enjoyed all the people I was able to see while in St. Louis. Thanks for taking the time to chat and show genuine interest in my life.  Your support and prayers are a blessing to me.   To those of you I didn't see, I am very sad it wasn't able to work out.  I am always available to Skype though!

Here's to signing off and going to bed, so I can wake up early and go searching for sand dollars off the southwestern coast of Florida with Grandma tomorrow morning. :)