the Incredibles and the Spiritual Family

[Just a note here at the beginning. This is an excerpt from my own journal that I thought some might like. It's a bit off center for me and so be aware of that. In no way am I "endorsing" watching this movie. The insights I saw were obtained by considering what wrong things the movie portrayed, not some great thing that I think everyone should see. It's also a bit long for a post and I apologize in advance, but like I said- it's taken from my journal and sometimes I'm a bit long-winded...]

In this tale of a super-hero family we see Dad and Mom, brother and sister working together against the forces of evil. Using the powers that they naturally have they learn how to rely on one another, and actually learn more about themselves in the process. Ok, now I fully admit that drawing lines from Disney's idea of a family working together to some deep truth is about as off the wall as watching Barney'’s First Car on a Sunday night as a foundation to a Bible study. But really there is an interesting truth here.

As a basis we know that Satan would like nothing more than to make our family useless. He will mock God and cause others to do so, but often he doesn'’t even need to go that far. If he can merely imitate something that God has than he can tempt even the staunchest “"saint"” with something that seems, and is good. The only problem is that the original, Jehovah'’s is the only one that is the best.

So what does this have to do with The Incredibles? What does the modern-day Christian family have to compare with this unreal fantasy?

God designed the family first of all. He created an order and a system for them to follow. These things are ordained and not really a suggestion because we are the creation and He is the creator.

But too often we stop there.

What about the gifts? The personalities, the things that make a family a family, the "“superhero powers"” if you will. Each person in the Christian family has been given abilities by our Almighty God. Satan would like us to limit that to things like being able to fly, create force fields, superhuman strength, or even being able to stretch our limbs for yards. Why would he like that? Because it keeps in the physical realm.

You see, the whole idea of being a superhero is limited to time, space, things you can see. Even when one of those guys becomes invisible it'’s "“incredible"” because they just stepped out of a very physical part of our life.

But Satan, the forces of darkness, and every creature from the lowest demon to the highest archangel to our Eternal Father Jehovah God himself, they all live in the Spiritual. The Super-Physical. And from that realm came our gifts, talents, and abilities as ordained by our Father!

What we see many times is an individual that taps into a gift or develops a relationship with the Father that allows him to become powerful in the spiritual realm. We know that he is because we see the Lord being active on his part in the physical, and he has that "“excellent spirit within him."

But what about the family?

Why is it always an individual that sets out and does great things for God and many times the family is "“normal"”? How worthless the individual Mr. Incredible looked compared to the dad Mr. Incredible! Together the family overcame obstacles that they had never faced before, and they came out victorious! Even their own personal lives were more enjoyable after they tapped into the super-physical.

Do I realize the gifts that my family has? What am I overlooking among my siblings and even my parents when I set out to be big Number One? May I never be an island as a family, but realize that we are a designed organism dependant on one another.

I must be willing to develop this when I begin my own family as well. To nurture the spiritual part of my children and bring them up being aware of their gifts and talents. Not as things to deal with, or even to "“overcome"” as we he hear in the Basic Seminar, but as assets to our family.

The idea of a family that is united for a Cause and that daily engages in the Realm that really matters is truly Incredible.