Fallen Heroes: A Devotional for Dads Who Struggle With PornНамуна

At the end of the Superman movie, Man of Steel, Superman and General Zod are battling it out over the city of Metropolis. Superman saves Metropolis, of course, but in the process, Metropolis is nearly obliterated.  

As a dad, you know you’re not Superman. You know that your best efforts to save your family are going to result in havoc like Superman’s bust-up of Metropolis. Our best efforts are always messy. 

But God is the hero we can’t be. He saves people with abundance. God’s perfect salvation covers our failures. He fixes the messes left by our best efforts. 

Maybe you’ve tried to step in and fix things for your family. Maybe you’ve stepped up and started talking to your son or daughter about porn. If you have, you’re a hero. But it’s messy, isn’t it? 

“Dad I’m addicted to porn. I can’t stop looking at it.”

“Dad, why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“Dad this is your fault.”

Your heart gets ripped out when you hear about the temptation your kids are already facing. Metropolis is in ruins. It’s no use pretending to be perfect because your kids know better. You have to admit your own shortcomings.

Don’t be afraid; don’t despair over the mess. God is in control. His salvation is perfect and covers a multitude of failed heroic efforts. 

In verses 7-10 we see that God doesn’t barely save people. He doesn’t save to people and leave the city a smoking wasteland. God saves abundantly. He showers grace upon grace. God’s heroic salvation MORE than covers your messy attempts to guide your family. 

The call to hero-dads is to follow their savior who saves abundantly—perfectly. The call to hero-dads is to be honest about their mistakes. The call to hero-dads is to point their families to the only hero big enough to handle the messiness of life: Jesus.  

Reflection:

1. Can you think of a time you tried to fix something only to end up with a mess? It could be a project around the house—or a relationship.

2. Reflect on the “fix” that Jesus worked through his death and resurrection. Despite the messiness of our sin, he saves abundantly!