Borrowed Wisdom

The Incredible Sparkle, superhero and defender of Glimmer City, couldn’t tell whether her constant shivering came from the cold or from the raw terror she felt coursing through her body. Behind her, the roof extended mere inches before dropping ten stories to the busy street below. Looking forward frightened her even more. Her nemesis, Dr. Danger, stood smiling wickedly a few feet away. Injured and cornered by the villain, Sparkle tried not to flinch as she stared down the barrel of Dr. Danger’s most powerful ion blaster.

“You can’t win! You’ll never match the power I possess. You had the chance to kill me earlier, but you didn’t go through with it. Coward! You don’t have what it takes. I never back down from a fight, and I always get what I want!â€

Danger was monologuing? Again? Despite her fear, Sparkle almost rolled her eyes at the predictable speech. She had to think of something, anything she could do to get the upper hand. A word clicked in her mind. Something Danger had said gave her an idea. Would it work?

Slowly, Sparkle kneeled down on the roof, staring silently at her opponent.

“What on earth are you doing?†Danger’s eyes widened and her proud smile faltered.

“Blessed are the meek,†Sparkle said in a calm, clear voice, “for they will inherit the earth.â€

Danger arched her eyebrows but didn’t move. “What? What are you talking about?†The villain shifted her eyes from side to side.

Sparkle continued, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.â€

“Mercy? Don’t expect that from me!†Danger’s words sounded confident, but her hand shook as she held her weapon tighter.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God!†Sparkle raised her voice and stood up quickly. Danger jumped at the sudden movement and took a step back, just in time for a giant net to drop from the sky on top of her! As police officers ran toward them and a helicopter landed, Sparkle smiled and delivered a monologue of her own:

“You think giving mercy shows weakness, but it actually takes strength. Causing pain to others who have hurt us is the natural response. Killing you would be the easy way to end this. But it takes far more strength to let go of the trigger or to forgive someone who has hurt you. That doesn’t come naturally. In that way, mercy is a kind of superpower. The greatest hero this world has ever seen never used violence against people, but instead He saved all of humanity, armed only with grace and forgiveness. Hatred will disappear someday, but love and mercy have the strongest saving power of all!†• Andi Potter

• In this allegorical story, Sparkle mentioned the greatest hero this world has ever seen: Jesus. How has Jesus shown mercy to you?

• Do you know anyone like Dr. Danger, who never backs down from a fight, who will do anything to get what they want? How can you show mercy to these people?

• Do you think the Incredible Sparkle got her name from Philippians 2:15, or some other way?

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:4-5 (NIV)

Read Verses:

1Kgs.12.1-1Kgs.12.17|Prov.15.22|Col.3.16