Origin Story

Bruce Wayne didn’t choose to witness his parents' murder in an alley. Peter Parker does not ask to be bitten by the radioactive spider. Wounds arrive uninvited, unwanted, and in most cases, permanently alter the trajectory of a life. What separates a hero from others who suffer the same, is not how they avoid the pain, it is what they choose to do with it.

The origin story is the launch pad of every great hero. It is the reason they fight, the source of their personal compassion, and their recipe which equips them to face their specific enemy. Many who wake up to their heroic journey, realize their childhood origin story has been holding them back.

The phrase Family of Origin, shows up in counseling and therapy work. It is looking back to the family upbringing a person has. It often considers patterns of abuse or enmeshment that has hindered emotional growth, which is valuable perspective for dealing with or healing unwanted behavior or emotional pain dealt with in the present.

The Bible is filled with men and women who were placed in the right place and the right time, equipped to carry out a purpose greater than they imagined. Joseph was thrown into a pit by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused, and imprisoned. But Genesis 50:20 records his extraordinary reframe: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good." The pit was not the end of the story.

And Esther, another Bible hero who was yanked into the harem of King Ahasuerus, AKA King Xerxes. Life may have seemed out of control for her, but like Joseph, God also placed her in a unique position to save her people.

Your hardest past chapters are not footnotes. Your story is the setup or your inciting incident of something larger than you currently see.

Scripture is one large story of God’s love, woven out of His interaction through a collection of many very human stories. It is a library of broken people whose wounds became the very ground from which God grew something extraordinary.

The Samaritan woman at the well (John 4) and the Gerasene demoniac (Mark 5:1–20 and Luke 8:26–39) are two primary examples of origin stories which leave the two characters, outcasts of their communities, changed and producing startling outcomes. I invite you to read their accounts fully.

The woman at the well was a Samaritan, a people looked down upon, seen by the Jew as half-breeds. Even among her people, this woman also had what I’ll call a sketchy history with her relationships. Jesus sat and spoke directly with this woman. When their conversation was complete, this woman ran excited to share what happened with her people.

The demon-possessed man was a dangerous, scary presence living among the tombs and terrifying the town, after encountering Jesus he was healed. The man asked if he could go with Jesus, but Jesus instructed him to go back to his friends and tell them what happened.

Now, read:

When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

— Mark 6:53-56 (ESV)

And

Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days.

— John 4:39-40 (ESV)

Each of these two former outcasts became influencers, leading many in their respective communities to Jesus! 

There are many other portraits, but these stood out because in their local communities, two outcasts no one wanted to interact with, were now playing an influential part in the salvation of their people. 

There are many others in the Bible who were transformed and played powerful roles in the greater narrative. Moses, David and Paul are three of the more famous examples of transformation in the Bible. Each of them had elements in their early story that shaped the power of their later influence. 

By examining your origin story, you no longer have to focus on the suffering. Instead, look at the lessons it has taught you and the passions that you care most about. Your personal story is not just what happened to you. It is the story of what happens next.

These questions require honesty about your past that may be uncomfortable. They are not meant to reopen wounds for their own sake. They are meant to help you see what God may have already been doing with what you thought was just loss.

The unfinished chapter. What painful experience from your past do you keep avoiding? It may persist because it still matters. Name it.

The disqualifier. What, from your past, makes you feel unqualified, or less worthy? Where did that story come from, and is it even true?

The reframe question. Looking at the hardest thing that happened to you, is there evidence that something good has come from it? A capacity for empathy? A specific insight? A friend who needed to hear exactly what you learned the hard way?

The testimony question. If your worst chapter became the most important part of your story, the part that made you uniquely useful, what would that look like? Who can you reach that no one else can?

Your origin story does not require resolution before it becomes useful. Joseph's usefulness to his brothers was a long game over many years. Years later, he still wept when he saw them. You do not need to be completely healed to begin helping others with what you survived.

This heroic element pairs naturally with Weakness. Your wounds often reveal weakness, and your weakness often points back to past wounds. Understanding both gives you a better picture of where you are and what you carry.

As you journal on your origin, write your origin story. See if you can refine it into three sentences. Reflect on your condensed, honest story of what happened, how it shaped you, and what you believe it prepared you for. The process may take a few sessions of journaling and reflection.

Watch the session below for a deeper exploration of how your origin story becomes the foundation of your heroic purpose.

[Once it is ready, I'll add a video here that dives deeper into — Origin Story: The Wound That Prepares You]