At university, I studied the art of film making. One of my majors was screen writing, which is just a fancy term for writing movie scripts. Many movies follow similar narrative archetypes, or story templates. They are defined as basic plot structures or story lines that are recurrent across the human experience . In the world of the arts, they are used to create a sense of familiarity. This allows audiences to easily follow the events, characters and plots. Some archetypes include the typical “Rags to Riches” story like the popular fairy-tale Cinderella. Others might be a “Quest” archetype where the main character must complete some sort of quest with a purpose attached to it. Think about J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of The Rings Trilogy. Then, there is a story archetype which I have found best applies to our lives as born-again believers: The Hero's Journey. Whether you have been following Christ for decades or whether you were saved yesterday, we can all look at this story structure and draw parallels in our lives. We are a walking motion picture, with God as our director.
After I recommitted my life to the Lord, I found one of my old essays which I had written about The Hero's Journey. The Holy Spirit revealed such a strong revelation to me which I have never been able to unsee. I was even able to found examples of this archetype within the bible . I have analysed many movies and unproduced scripts, and the story of Jesus Christ is the ultimate Hero's Journey. Then after that, the story of our salvation through him. When going through these steps, think of all the major stories in the bible.
The Hero's Journey archetype; 1. The call to adventure: Something, or someone, interrupts the hero’s familiar life to present a problem, threat, or opportunity. This could be in the form of a conflict or challenge. (An OPTIONAL step) 2. Refusal of the call: Unwilling to step out of their comfort zone or face their fear, the hero initially hesitates to embark on this journey. 3. Supernatural aid: A mentor figure gives the hero the tools and inspiration they need to accept the call to adventure. For us as born-again believers, our ultimate mentor is the Holy Spirit. It is the ministry of the Holy Spirit to reveal things to us. 4. Crossing the threshold: The hero embarks on their quest. 5. Belly of the whale: The hero crosses the point of no return, and encounters their first major obstacle. 6. The road of trials: The hero must go through a series of tests or ordeals to begin his transformation. Often, the hero fails at least one of these tests. There is a constant process which takes place in order to renew our minds and transform our hearts. 7. The meeting with the helper: The hero meets one or more allies, who pick him up and help him continue his journey. For us, this helper could be the church, destiny helpers or even someone who is walking this journey with us to keep us accountable. 8. The temptress: The hero is tempted to abandon or stray from his quest. Traditionally, this temptation is a love interest, but it can manifest itself in other forms as well, including fame or wealth. Our main tempter is Satan who wants us to turn away from the will of God (our journey). If he cannot make us turn away then he will try and distract us from the journey. 9. Atonement with the father: The hero confronts the reason for his journey, facing his doubts and fears and the powers that rule his life. This is a major turning point in the story: every prior step has brought the hero here, and every step forward stems from this moment. There is a moment in our journey where we discover our identity in Christ Jesus. This is the moment where we discover our purpose in the Kingdom of God and our power and authority in Him. 10. Apotheosis: As a result of this confrontation, the hero gains a profound understanding of their purpose or skill. Armed with this new ability, the hero prepares for the most difficult part of the adventure. 11. The ultimate boon: The hero achieves the goal he set out to accomplish, fulfilling the call that inspired his journey in the first place. (an OPTIONAL step) 12. Refusal of the return: If the hero’s journey has been victorious, he may be reluctant to return to the ordinary world of his prior life. 13. The flight: The hero must escape with the object of his quest, evading those who want to steal it. Even though we are victorious, the battle still continues.
14. Rescue from without: Mirroring the meeting with the helper, the hero receives help from a guide or rescuer in order to make it home.
15. The crossing of the return threshold: The hero makes a successful return to the ordinary world. 16. Master of two worlds: We see the hero achieve a balance between who he was before his journey and who he is now. Often, this means balancing the material world with the spiritual enlightenment he’s gained.
17. Freedom to live: We leave the hero at peace with his life. We will only reach this step when we enter heaven. How this journey applies to spiritual warfare In spiritual warfare, we can see ourselves as a character within a story. Just like The Hero’s journey, we too embark on a journey to become soldiers in the kingdom of God. We will face challenges, but we will also gain wisdom. Along our journey there will be many temptations and distractions. There will be many opportunities to give up and go back to our old life. I think about Abraham and Moses. Their story is one of the oldest examples of The Hero’s journey. Whatever challenges you are facing in your life, do not give up. Remember this Hero's journey, and that our ultimate hero is Jesus Christ. We cannot reach the end of our journey's without Him. He is our strength and our shield, our rock on which we stand.