Headless Superheroes

Headless Superheroes

“I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

Jeremiah 29:11

My three-year-old grandson, Sam, was very attached to a crocheted red blanket. It had survived two of his older brothers but was ripped and unraveling. He needed a new blanket, but he did not want one. My daughter-in-law talked him into letting me make him a new one, so armed with my scissors, thread, and sewing machine, I headed to the rescue.

The next plan of action was to pick out fabric. I had made the older boys fleece blankets. A large Batman adorned the front of one and Spider-Man the other. Sam envisioned his own with a large action figure on the front—preferably Iron Man, but he would settle for the Incredible Hulk. A Batman-patterned fleece was the only action-figured fabric I found. Sam knew what he wanted, and that was not it. I thought as soon as I pulled out my fancy machine and started to sew, he would be okay. Instead, as I trimmed the fabric to square the edges, Sam started to cry.

“Sam, what’s the matter?”

“You cut the Batmans’ heads off.”

Each Batman was about six inches tall and printed haphazardly all across the fabric. I had to look to see what he was talking about, but periodically heads were missing all the way around the edges of the fabric. I tried to proclaim my innocence, explaining that the saleslady had cut those heads off, but Sam did not care who had hurt Batman—the heads were missing.

Maybe if I start sewing, he will be okay, I thought. But when I sewed the first seam, Sam cried even more.

“Sam, now what’s the matter?”

“Now you’re sticking that needle into Batman.”

Sigh.

—Pam Whitley

Father, help me to recognize that your plans are always good for me, even when they don’t match my expectations. Amen.