Two weeks ago I blogged a pair of posts about the Hero’s Journey—an introduction to the Hero’s Journey, and How to Plug Your Story Into The Hero’s Journey. This week we’re going to explore Samson’s “Hero School,” found in Judges 13-16 in the Bible.

Samson’s story began before he was born.

“A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah… had a wife who was childless, unable to give birth. The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, “You… are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son …(His) head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.” – Judges 13:2-5

You just checked out, didn’t you?

“Childless? An angelic visitation?” You ask. “I was born at Mercy General. And last time I checked, there was no “special mission fairy dust” sparkling in any of my baby pics.”

Okay, so maybe there was no angel in your story. That you’re aware of, anyway. Fair enough. But what you need to know about Samson was, Israel was under foreign occupation at the time. The Philistines had the whole nation under their thumb as a judgement from God.

“So?”

So, part of God’s answer to their prayer was to make sure a guy named Samson was born. So that when he grew up, he could take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines. He was born to change the world—at least, for Israel.

“But that’s Samson. Not me.”

Are you so sure? Last time I checked, the world was under foreign occupation, under the devil’s power. Last time I checked, Jesus Christ came to seek and save the lost. Last time I checked, he began the mission two thousand years ago and is still at it, through those who love and follow him.

“I guess so, but…”

Which means God saw the world as it would be right now, and planned ahead. Part of the answer to people’s prayers today was to make sure you were born so that as you grew up, you could become a part of the solution, with a critical role to play. You, friend, were born to change the world. At least, the part of the world you happen to touch on a daily basis.

“But I’m just… you don’t know me. I’m nobody special. I’ve got weak knees and I can’t even get a job and my dad yelled at me growing up and sometimes I get panic attacks and struggle with porn and I barely make enough to pay the rent.”

I know, right? That’s what makes your story so amazing, so epic, so crazy. Just think how it’s going to sound when, then years from now, you say, “But God touched my life, and then…” Because Samson was a mess. But God called him. So there you go.

Friend, you’ve got what you call one-o-them “deliverer callings.” Deal with it.

“Are you sure?”

Yup. And it’s gonna be awesome.

Tomorrow we’ll discover how to go with it.