Week 5, Wonder Woman, Episode 508, Act Two

https://www.thisamericanlife.org/508/superpowers-2013

Listen to Act Two, Wonder Woman, 17 min

This is a really quirky episode about a real life – self-made – superhero. At first it does not seem like it could be real, but it is very real. Zora is a real woman from Minnesota who plans from a very young age to acquire skills, experiences and abilities that would prepare her for a potential career in the CIA.

1. What list did you have regarding dreams for your life?
2. This episode addresses the idea of testing limits, perfecting the human being, or just perfectionism in general. Zora’s is an extreme example of this kind of obsession. But can you relate in any way? How has perfectionism affected your life or self-image?
3. When did you first begin to honestly discover your limits?
4. Zora finally had to face extreme disappointment in her quest. How have you faced disappointment? How did you adjust? What was the outcome?
5. One of the theological issues at work in this story is works vs grace, or, law vs gospel. Zora believed she had achieved everything she needed to be accepted by the CIA, and yet in the end she was rejected. Realizing and accepting our limits is one of the steps on the journey to receiving the good news that Jesus has accomplished all that was necessary for our salvation on the cross. What aspect of self-reliance or achievement was the hardest for you to let go of in your growing awareness of God’s acceptance of you by grace?
6. Read Ephesians 2: 4 – 10. The gospel makes us face the despair of our own self-reliance. The relief God offers us through unconditional love and forgiveness is free, but it forces us to let go of the judgements we put in ourselves and others. We have to let God accept us as we are. This is sometimes humiliating. But that is the point. Where have you found yourself to be harder on yourself than is necessary?
7. Where do you realize you are striving to be a super woman or super man? Where are you trying to over achieve? Who are you trying to impress? How might the grace of God help you face these false pursuits and false selves in order to better embrace your true self which is loved by God in Christ?
8. Can you identify your top three goals for life? How many of them are realistic, balanced, and Grace oriented?