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As often as possible Jesus withdrew to out–of–the–way places for prayer.

Luke 5:16 

Have you ever felt like Superwoman (or Superman)? Have you said yes to everything, flipped your cape over your shoulder, and readied for takeoff? Think about it. Are you the room mother, full-time employee, housekeeper, laundress, errand runner, Sunday School teacher, casserole-for-the-new-mother at church maker, loving (and always charged up) wife, homework helper, bill payer, patient mother, etc, etc? Are you the dad who insists that the yard must be perfect, the car shining, the house in full repair?  

Or are you the single mom who attends every ballgame, every field trip, always makes something for the bake sale, helps with homework, and so much more? Do you make handmade gifts, never forget anyone’s birthday or anniversary without mailing a card, and cook gourmet meals too? Are you the single dad who goes to every school conference, works to be both mother and father, tries to figure out what little girls need, and how to raise your son to be a godly man? Well, cool the flames on your heels, untie your sneakers, and put that cape in the closet for just a moment.  

In my family of nine children, we were raised with a pretty stern work ethic. My mother always said she could work circles around any of us, and believe me, she could. To this day, my mom, at 78, can trim out and paint a room in no time at all. Once I asked for help painting my living room, and then just scurried to get out of the way as she quickly did the job. I don’t remember my mom taking naps or sleeping in. That was a skill she had lost years before all of us came along, and still hasn’t regained. 

Later, I was employed at a local utility company and was expecting my second child in just a few weeks. When I walked out the door on that winter morning, I slipped and fell down the steps. Well, I picked myself up and went to work—after all, I was a faithful employee. Once there, I thought, “Gee, I should check with my doctor.” Long story short, my daughter was delivered prematurely that night, but I had gone to work like a good girl. How many of us push past the point of endurance time and time again because we think we are “superpeople”?” How many of us get up and keep moving even when we are in pain because we want to look good? We ignore the obvious and make things far worse than if we had stopped and tended to it. 

As I matured (and had more children), I began to review what I was committed to and pray as I made decisions. I began to look at many things—activities, possessions, commitments, and priorities. It became real to me that possessions required time, activities required obligation, and commitments required faithfulness. Priorities became something that needed to be set by God, not by myself or others in my life. As these things began to fall away in importance, I began to learn about what was really vital to God.  

The reality of our lives is this: We are all going 100 mph, so busy trying to measure up to anyone and everyone’s idea of what we should be and should do, that we get lost in the tornado of our lives. Where does God say for us to be this way? “Well,” you think, “if I don’t do _____ , who will?” You fill in the blank. My house always smelled like Pine Sol, you could eat off my floors, and my children were never dressed in hand-me-downs. Why? Because of my pride and self-worship. For years I never took naps because I was afraid I might look lazy. But then—after years of working full time, caring for children, keeping up a household, I decided to sneak off one afternoon and take a rest. Imagine my surprise when I awakened to discover my house still standing, the chores still waiting and my children not out running wild in the streets. Once my pride got out of the way, God’s schedule and priorities allowed me to take off my cape. 

Did you know Jesus took time outs? He was asleep in the boat during the storm, when everyone else thought He should be awake. He went off by Himself to converse with His Father. He went apart from the others into the wilderness and spent time alone. Jesus obviously worked hard—preaching, teaching, healing, ministering in a multitude of ways, often until He was exhausted. But He went apart to be with His Father and too, and He rested. How often do we not follow His example and push ourselves until we are unbelievably stressed, or ill, or so cranky that the people to whom we are giving don’t even want to be around us!  

The most important thing to Jesus was to be doing what His Father wanted, not what He or anyone else set forth as the “must do’s.” As I studied the Word, I didn’t see Jesus answering emails, making fancy meals, or remembering every birthday. Yes, He cooked some fish one time, He attended a wedding, and He participated in the religious activities such as Passover. But more important is what He didn’t do. He pushed to do His Father’s will, no matter what anyone else thought He should do. It didn’t matter to Him that they criticized miracles on the Sabbath, disapproved of His dining with sinners, and condemned Him for stating that He and His Father were one. Peer pressure didn’t have any effect on Jesus. It didn’t cause Him to go to the right or the left, to try to be politically correct, or to take one step or speak one word that His Father had not ordained. Nowhere in His Word does God say, “You must do everything and do it perfectly.”  

So I must ask myself: Do I do things because they bring praise to me, so that I will be publicly acknowledged and accepted? Or do I live my life so that they can’t even see me, they can only see His love reaching out? Do I make commitments so I will look good? Do I take on activities so that I can impress everyone? When I stop doing and simply be the one God works through, it is amazing how much God accomplishes.  

We have a God who is so much more than a “superman.” There is no comparing Him to “faster than a speeding bullet,” He is right there in the moment with you and me. He is incomparable to being “able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.” He doesn’t need our help in the least. Rather, He chooses to use us according to His Will. We don’t have to “look up in the sky.” His Holy Spirit is within us, His Word is our instruction, and in the quiet commune with Him, we hear what it is He wants us to commit to, be involved in, and own, and how to prioritize it all. It’s God’s work that is important, so let’s leave ours in the closet and let Him “wear the cape.”  

Copyright 2004 by Desirée Marrion

Desirée Marrion is a member of Portland Eastside Foursquare Church and serves on the worship team. She is a single mom, a grandmother, and an administrative assistant at the Center for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Northwest, in Portland, Oregon. You may reach her at: marrion8955@yahoo.com