Above Average

This morning I read an article about a 6-year-old named Pranav Veera that has an IQ of 176. According to the USA Today article, Pranav can recite the names of the U. S. Presidents in the order that they served in office. He can also say the alphabet backwards and if given a date back to 2000, Pranav can tell you the day of the week on which the date fell. One person in 1 million has an IQ of 176 or above. It is said that Albert Einstein’s IQ was 160 while the average IQ is 100. Pranav, just a few months past age 4, could recall the colors of various sets of alphabets. His photographic memory makes it difficult for his family to keep his attention and spur Pranav on towards more learning. Despite his above average intelligence, Pranav plays like an average 6-year-old. He climbs on the monkey bars and enjoys playing the Nintendo Wii. Pranav’s parents hope to keep him “as normal as possible” by considering his social needs.
Quite a few individuals have told me that the story of Jesus seems like a fairy tale or comic book story. God comes to Earth in the form of a human and walks among us. He walks, eats, sleeps, and participates in all the mundane activities of every day human life. Hebrews 4:15 states that we have someone “who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin”. It was completely necessary that Jesus took the form of a man. He taught us at our level, leading a perfect example and showing us that it is possible to live free of sin. As difficult as it might be for Pranav to fit in among his peers, imagine how difficult it must have been for the creator of the universe to become a lowly Homo Sapien. No matter where you fall on the IQ scale, you have to appreciate this act. You also should be aware that Jesus could have done anything he wanted with his power but he used it to help people. We might not have IQs of 176, but we have great power. And, as the immortal Spider-man says, “With great power comes great responsibility”.