Now, some people think the Bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldn’t do. The Bible certainly does have some rules in it. They show you how life works best. But the Bible isn’t mainly about you and what you should be doing. It’s about God and what he has done. Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. The Bible does have some heroes in it, but (as you’ll soon find out) most of the people in the Bible aren’t heroes at all. They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose), they get afraid and run away. At times, they’re downright mean. No, the Bible isn’t a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It’s an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It’s a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne–everything–to rescue the ones he loves. It’s like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life! You see, the best thing about this Story is…it’s true. There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves His children and comes to rescue them. – Sally Lloyd-Jones
In every hero’s journey, there are a series of common steps that lead to a critical juncture.
When we first see a future hero in a given story, we find him or her living an ordinary life in an ordinary world. But then, something happens. There is an allure to break out of the ordinary world to do something extraordinary. This is the Call to Adventure. The future hero becomes aware that there is another way to live – something that seems to pull from deep within toward living a larger, better, more selfless life in service of a greater good.
But then, of course reason screams back at the soul’s longing with this threat, “You can’t do that. This is your life we’re talking about. And you have responsibilities. And needs. And people who respect you. All that will be lost if you play the fool and walk away. Don’t do it!” This is the inevitable Refusal of the Call to adventure.
It is at this stage that we meet the mentor. The guide. The hero-to-be in our story receives reassurance and wise counsel concerning the call. This guidance helps overcome whatever doubts linger until the hero is born. He lifts up his eyes to behold the call to adventure and then boldly crosses the threshold into the new life.
The pattern of the hero’s journey, sometimes called the monomyth, serves as the armature for stories told in every culture at all points in history – from King Arthur to the Lion King, from Perseus against Medusa to Luke Skywalker against the Empire, and from Faust and the dragon to Katniss Everdeen and the Capitol.
These stories draw us – fascinate us – over and over again because they reveal what is already imprinted in our souls. We are designed to pursue the path of the hero’s journey. We are called to leave our ordinary lives and embrace the call to adventure. We will inevitably struggle with this call, but we can, if we choose, receive the supernatural aid offered by the mentor. And we can summon the courage to accept the call and live the life that we always longed to live.
And all we have to do is listen for and accept the call to adventure.
Source Scripture
Adventure Awaits: Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11
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