GI Joe, Iron Man, Superman, & Beyond!
Who is GI Joe? What if I was to tell you that he was Barbie Doll created in 1963 by Hasbro. After Vietnam, he started his decline in 1978 and soon after he was discontinued. GI Joe did experience a resurrection in the early 80’s as the Cold War heated up. Marketing guru’s even added to his name, GI Joe: A Real American Hero.
Anyone besides me wonder what “G.I.” stands for?
Originally, GI was an acronym for “Galvanized Iron”, the primary material used to make military items. However, as the military evolved over time, GI took on multiple meanings such as “Ground Infantry”.
I actually love both of these initialisms! Galvanized Iron speaks to what metal you are cut from and your inner strength, while Ground Infantry points to the front lines where hand to hand combat takes place in the trenches. The exact location where many battles are won or lost.
I found it intriguing that Galvanized Iron in many ways connects GI Joe to Iron Man! So now that we know the origin of GI Joe, let’s find out where Iron Man come from?
Marvel established Iron Man in 1963. In the same year, Ironman was introduced as one of the founding members of the Superhero team the Avengers along with Thor, Ant-Man, Wasp, and the Hulk.
In 1970, Geezer Butler, of the rock band Black Sabbath wrote the lyrics for the iconic song, Iron Man. He had never even heard of the Marvel Comic superhero at the time. Sadly Black Sabbath is a name that refers to a meeting of those who practice witchcraft, or Witches Sabbath, or other occult or superstitious rites. The song only reached No 52 in America and never reached popularity in the UK.
However when the Iron Man movies came out in 2008 the song connected and thus we now hear the song at nearly every large sporting these days. As the Avengers have grown in popularity, Iron Man has far outgrown GI Joe in fame, but my question for you today is, “Can we do better than a superhero made of Iron?”
Why settle for GI Joe or Iron man when we are made in God’s Image! NO, I am not referring to Thor! My kind of superhero is made in God’s Image and thus carries the same initials, GI – “God’s Image”. Marvel could not make it so obvious, so instead they chose to call him Superman. You think I’m joking?
Many draw the conclusion that Superman was most likely inspired by the story of Moses. Kal-El is a Hebrew name. The “El” means “of God”. Some people define his entire name as: Voice of G-d. Does any of this sound familiar? Superman was placed in a spaceship (basket like Moses) when his planet (his home) was dying. Then, he adopted by people who are not like him (like gentiles to Jewish) and he had to conform to their society. Lex Luthor is afraid of him and other aliens (anti-Semites who are afraid of Jewish people in banking, education, or “running the world”). His villain-hood to Superman is very much like anti-Semites to Jewish.
He was even created by two Jewish boys who wanted to show the Jewish immigrant experience: Jerry Siegal and Joe Shuster. Coincidence? I don’t believe so. Why do you think that the enemy is trying his best these days to attack Superman’s image and change his identity? Why can’t the enemy create his own superhero? Because the enemy is a thief, not a creator. He can only steal God’s Ideas.
Why don’t we create our own Superhero! One who is actually made in God’s Image, just as the Bible says.
Someone created with Godlike Instincts and with supernatural codes written in his DNA. Someone cut from a metal made in heaven, where Gold uses Gold for asphalt!
I can only imagine that this Superhero would be Full of Love, Fearless, Strong, Courageous, Meek, Wise, and made of all things good! Of course they would be given the Holy Spirit, the same power that helped Jesus conquer death, hell and the grave!
Of course they would be created with Godlike Instincts!
To better understand what those instincts might be, let’s Define instinct: an inborn impulse or motivation to action.
A Superhero ready to respond without hesitation in a moments notice with instincts only our Father in Heaven could give us. In other words, the moment our God and King gives us a command, it is Go Time!
When will we realize the inheritance we have been given? The Bible calls us new creatures in Christ Jesus. We are commanded to not fear and given everything we need to move a mountain or to do greater thing than we can dream or imagine.
The moment we accept Christ Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we die to our old self and we walk into the promises of a loving Father. This is so far beyond anything the enemy has to offer. We are given Championship DNA!
Yes, at some point and time, every Superhero GI made in God’s Image is put to the test! There comes a time that we all are tested by the enemy to see what metal we are cut from. If you have asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, then your faith, commitment, courage and hunger will be put to the test. The world is watching and they want to see if the supernatural power in you is real!
When tested, will we be pushed back? Yes, but all things are possible through Christ Jesus who gives us strength! Will we be knocked down? Yes, but the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit that lives in us allows us to rise up over and over again!
I have no problem with GI Joe, Iron Man, or even Superman, I actually love watching Superhero, Star Trek, and Star Wars movies. I can watch shows like “The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe” over and over again.
Galvanizing Iron by coated it with zinc to protect it from rusting sounds weak compared to actually being created in God’s Image! I think I am going with the superhero named:
GI JESUS
You know what Jesus called us to be? Superdads, Supermoms, Superhusbands, Superwives, and even Superkids!
I will leave you with one more interesting gem I found. I didn’t realize the word galvanized has another meaning.
To shock or excite (someone) into taking action.
Example… The voice of God is galvanizing us to action! He is calling on us to go to all the world and share the Gospel of Jesus! God is calling and equipping us all to be Superheroes for just a time as this!
Photo by Yulia Matvienko on Unsplash