The Superpower I Always Wanted to Have

When asked what superpower I would like to have in my younger days, I would always reply, “invisibility.” As a teenager, I’ve been through many embarrassing moments where I wished I could just disappear, like when I woke up late and my hair looked like a mop, or when my friends played a prank on me in front of my crush. There was even this one time when I fell off my bicycle in the public park because I was daydreaming.

Were there moments where you wished you could just vanish on the spot? Perhaps you thought no one would notice. No one would care if you just vaporized. Perhaps the world might even be a better place without you. Yet the Bible tells me that each one of us is unique and special; we are fearfully and wonderfully made by God (Psalm 139:13-14). And God even knows (or bothers to number) the very hairs on our heads (Matthew 10:30).

I found these truths difficult to accept as a young person. Each time I looked at the mirror, I saw an ugly person with an unacceptable figure and dull features. A lot of this thinking stemmed from incidents that happened during my childhood. Well-meaning relatives would advise me to pinch my nose regularly since it was so flat, or to take a trip to Korea after high school to fix my single eyelids. As I grew older, I came to realize however that a lot of the negative thoughts I had about my body came from myself rather than from others. When people complimented me about how I looked or dressed, I would quickly dismiss these as untrue. I was the one having trouble accepting myself.

So how did I overcome this? Or rather, how am I overcoming this? Thus far, it has been a journey of slow but sure transformation as I’m learning to see the facts of the Bible as truths in my life. The Bible says that God loves me (1 John 4:10), His plans for me are for my good (Romans 8:28), and that every good gift is from above (James 1:17). It’s a beautiful picture of how our amazing and loving heavenly Father cares for us. This makes what I’m wearing and how people perceive me really inane concerns in the grand scheme of things.

In fact, the Bible goes on to describe just how much our loving Father knows about us. As Psalm 139:16 says, “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Even before my birth, He has laid out every day of my life. What a comforting and astounding fact that is.

Today, by the grace of God, I no longer have the urge to be invisible. Instead, I accept compliments graciously and try to find ways to compliment those around me. Each time I meet up with my friends, I try to notice a positive change or an effort they make in dressing up. After some practice, I’m beginning to really appreciate the diversity and beauty God has fearfully and wonderfully made in each one of us—not only in others, but also in myself.