by Angela Arndt, @aearndt

Writing is so hard right now. How can I write about love when my loved ones are hurting? How can I create an adventure when I can’t leave home? How important are my stories when the whole world is suffering?

Five Superpowers

Like most of the world, I was shocked and saddened by Chadwick Boseman’s death. I loved his blockbuster movie, Black Panther and have watched his portrayal of a man who overcame difficult challenges and fierce opponents to show grace as King several times.

It sounds like that’s how he lived his life, too. In post-after-post, many of his friends and colleagues used the same five words to describe him. I think they’re his “superpowers.”

Potential

Christian news outlets reported that the man who baptized Chadwick Boseman as a child said he was very active in the arts, choir, and drama as a teen. He remarked that young “Chad” always helped out, was always doing something, always serving his church and community. Howard University recognized his amazing potential and accepted his application to attend.

Application: When did you realize your call to be a writer? How had God prepared you? 

Promise

While at Howard University, Boseman and several classmates applied for a summer drama program at Oxford University. When their acceptance letter detailed expenses they couldn’t afford, their professor, actress Phylicia Rashad found sponsors to help them. She recognized the promise in Boseman and his friends. And Boseman’s sponsor? Denzel Washington. 

Application: Who’s supported your dream? Write a note or call and thank them. 

Purpose

Boseman accepted the roles of Jackie Robinson, James Brown, and Thurgood Marshall because he felt a responsibility to play men who broke through the color barrier. In 2016, Boseman’s talent was rewarded with another role: Black Panther in Marvel’s Avenger movies. Then in 2018, after the release of the full-length Black Panther film, Howard University invited him to come back and present their commencement address.

As Boseman looked out over the graduates, quoted Jeremiah 29:11, reminding them that they were here, at this time, for a specific purpose. He encouraged them to find that purpose, then work to understand it. No single job or career should be more important than that purpose. Any struggles would make them stronger and God would open doors as they followed His will.

Application: What is your purpose? Why do you write? If you’re not sure, ask God to reveal it. 

Provision

In 2019, the American Film Institute (AFI) honored Denzel Washington with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Boseman spoke, recounting how Washington ensured his career by helping him go that summer in Oxford. Boseman stressed that there wouldn’t be a Black Panther if not for that gift. Then Boseman blessed Washington with paraphrased versions of Proverbs 11:25b, and Ephesians 3:20:

“Let he who has watered, be water. Let he who has given, be given to.”

“May God bless you exceedingly and abundantly more than he ever has before. God bless you.”

Application: How has God provided for you in difficult times? How can you help others the same way?

Perseverance

Chadwick Boseman’s IMDb.com page lists 34 films and television shows, eight credits as producer, two as director, one writer credit, and 77 interviews and special appearances in his short 43 years. But look at the 132 entries he completed after his diagnosis in 2016, while undergoing chemo and surgeries.

While there’s no list of his schools and hospital visits, or gifts for the sickest patients, they were just as important as his films. One quote really touched my heart, about two little boys with a terminal diagnosis, “he pushed through the pain and weakness to fulfill the promise he made to those children [to make the Black Panther movie].”

Application: Who needs your encouragement? How important are they to you?

Use Your Superpowers

LZ Granderson, ESPN Radio host, said on ABC’s Chadwick Boseman: Tribute for a King, “[Boseman] embodied an idea, a promise, a potential … you can’t help but wonder if he was touched by God.”

Application: Your God-given talents are “your superpowers,” use them to lift up and inspire. Offer the hurting respite from the troubles of this world and be a superhero, just like Chadwick Boseman.

---

Angela Arndt writes women’s fiction with a thread of romance, telling stories of strong, independent women in difficult situations set in small Southern towns. Her biggest hope is that she will encourage her readers to overcome their own “back roads” and find joy in the Lord again.  Represented by Rachelle Gardner of Books & Such Literary Agency, Angela has a Master’s Degree from the University of South Carolina and continues learning the craft of writing fiction through the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Novel Academy. Connect with her at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram