Telling your origin story

During Conan O’Brien’s week of broadcasts from Comic Con, he shared a video about his origin story. (For those who are unfamiliar with the concept, an origin story is an accounting of the events that lead up to the rise of a superhero.) Aside from getting me laughing, the video also got me thinking.

Most Christians will be asked at some point to share their journey to professing faith in Jesus. I wonder how the origin story framework might shift the perspective a bit. Origin stories often begin before the superhero is born, connecting the hero to a larger narrative. They describe the acquisition of special powers, which generally come from a source beyond the hero. And these backstories often point the hero toward some sense of responsibility – a mission, if you will.

It seems to be that origin story thinking might help us widen our view of what people and events shaped us, what gifts have been ingrained in us, and how those gifts might serve the greater good (i.e., reign of God) than many accounts of our call to faith allow.

What, then, is your origin story?