In the early to mid ’80s, I was a boy in a family where I was allowed to have a He-Man action figure, but not Skeletor. I could play with Lion-O but not Mumm-Ra. I don’t know, maybe they could throw a costume party or set up a lemonade stand together—but those muscles and swords were NOT for fighting evil.
Actually, I can remember our church passing out a list around Christmas of what toys were and weren’t appropriate. For a few years, I had to choose Christmas gifts off of that list. Thankfully, I was allowed to have both G.I. Joe and Cobra, Luke and Vader, and even those little, pink M.U.S.C.L.E. guys on the no-no list.
But seriously, what good are heroes with no evil to defeat? Just a bunch of guys building muscles and inventing weapons because they love to share those things with each other?
This morning I read a quote from Brennan Manning that reminded me of these funny memories:
God will bring good out of evil – even a greater good than if there had been no evil – and the trial will have been an immense good for us.
So I say, the bigger the bad-guy, the greater the hero.
[Editor’s note: I actually own this poster (below), and it’s awesomeness is scarcely to be comprehended.]