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The Birthplace of Heroes and Villains
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by Matthew Dennis
very hero and villain are born at the same place in
suffering and turns it into a force for good. We forgive
their lives. Both, like the rest of humanity, are in
those who have hurt us, because we have also been
as much control of the circumstances in their lives
forgiven of much. Scripture gives us the key to guarding
as a fly’s ability to cast Mars into another galaxy. Every
our hearts from taking the path of the villain. Hebrews
hero and villain’s story begins with a rejection, a betrayal,
12:12-15 tell us, “Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms
a loss, a setback, or a traumatic event. At this point, both
and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet, so that
make a choice. The villain holds on to his anger, refusing
the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Make
to forgive. In seeking to destroy the monsters that caused
every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy;
his suffering, he becomes the monster he swore to fight
without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no
against. On the other hand, the hero has accepted his
one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root
suffering and turned it into power. The hero’s very
grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”
existence is a living testament against the villain’s absolute sense of “justice.” Therefore, in the eyes of the villain, the hero must be eradicated because the hero stands in the way of the villain’s plan to make all pay for the injustice he has suffered. In contrast, rather than taking out his pain on the rest of humanity, the hero sees his own brokenness in the rest of humanity, as well as in the villain. He is determined to make sure that no one is ever treated with such cruelty as he has been. It is humility that guards the
I’m not the first to say this, but I believe forgiveness is
door of the heart and keeps evil at bay. This is why it is
more for the healing of the victim than the perpetrator. No
common to see the hero surrounded by community to
villain or hero is born overnight. Rather, they are created
remind the hero of who they are, lest they lose themselves.
in the small every day choices of how they face their
Villains isolate themselves lest anyone see the darkness
suffering. You cannot control what happens to you, but
within. For the greatest battle we face in the fight against
you can control how you respond. When tragedy strikes,
evil is not out there, but within our own hearts.
who will you choose to be?
It is no mistake that superhero movies and stories is deep within each of our souls. Jesus Himself faced His suffering head on and embraced the cross for our sake. Through Him, we have access to a power that takes our
20 // August 2022
About The Author
are all the rage in our culture. They speak to a truth that Matthew Dennis is currently teaching high school Bible at Maryville Christian School. He is passionate about developing leaders and equipping the next generation to engage with modern day philosophies and culture. Matthew also writes on his own blog, “Gifts from the Desert,” at giftsfromthedesert.blog. He uses this blog to help people grapple with the reality of suffering, how to embrace it, and transform it into a source of hope, healing, and strength.
