For this post to work, you need to know who Jimmy Olsen is. Back in the 1950s, when The Adventures of Superman was on TV, everybody knew Jimmy Olsen. Jimmy is a photographer at the Daily Planet, where he works with Clark Kent and Lois Lane. Traditionally Jimmy is roughly a teenager, a little bit younger than Clark and Lois, who are both working adults. Due to the TV show, Jimmy Olsen became so popular that he had his own comic book, Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen, which ran for 20 years. (And then Jimmy's adventures were part of The Superman Family, which ran for another 8 years.) That might not seem unusual, but Jimmy Olsen has no special powers or abilities. He doesn't really fight crime. His claim to fame is that he's friends with Superman. Jimmy wears a special watch that emits an ultra-sonic signal so he can get ahold of Superman when he's in trouble, which happens a lot.
A few months back I had a conversation with a church member who was really struggling with some health challenges. We talked on what seemed to be a particularly tough day, and after our conversation ended, I was feeling down. I wished I could do something to make this person feel better. As I walked home, it occurred to me that I'm not and can't be Superman, but I can be Jimmy Olsen. See, I'm nobody's savior. I've never demonstrated any miraculous powers, and there are a lot of troubles that are simply beyond me. But I know Christ Jesus, who can handle any trouble. In fact, He calls me His friend. I don't have a signal watch, but I can pray. What's more, I can trust that Christ will hear me and that He is able to help out. Like Jimmy Olsen tells people about Superman, I can tell others about Jesus and, in a sense, help them contact Him. What happens then is up to Christ, but I know from personal experience that He is powerful and good.
Grace and peace,
BMH
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