Amazing Transformation

Comic storytelling has come really far over the years. No matter what you're into there's a comic story for you. Mystery, adventure, comedy, and there's always the popular 'epic crossover to save the world from the greatest threat in the galaxy' story. But there's just something about a super hero origin story that grips our imagination like nothing else. Maybe it's getting to put ourselves in the shoes of someone who went from being normal, someone just like us, to someone who gets to do things they never could do before. We all want to be better than we are. We want to be special, and use our gifts for a greater purpose. No origin story captures this more than the tale of the meek Peter Parker and his transformation into the Amazing Spider-Man.

Before the world got to know Spider-Man, comics were filled with the stories of powerful grown men who always saved the day, and the girl. Peter was different--a kid that was picked on in school like many of us who could easily identify with his problems. So when a radioactive spider turned the kid everyone laughed at into the hero everyone loved, a champion of the nerd was born. But that's not the whole story, is it? That spider may have given Peter incredible strength, agility and his arachnid-like abilities, but power doesn't automatically translate into character. In fact, Peter's initial instincts led him to pursue less than noble methods of benefiting from his new-found gifts. Unfortunately, Peter's choice to use his powers for fame and fortune had dire consequences. It wasn't until the loss of his Uncle Ben, a victim to a crime Peter could have prevented, that he realized what his uncle meant by something actually found in the Bible. Ben taught his nephew and surrogate son, that with great power comes great responsibility, but Luke records similar words spoken by Jesus in his gospel. "To whom much is given, from him much will be required" Luke 12:48. You see, Peter didn't go from zero to hero because of a spider. Powers or not, the only transformation that counts is a transformation of the heart. God has given you incredible power. Don't go another day with your head down, waiting for your hero origin story to begin. Listen to Paul, "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" II Corinthians 5:17. Put your faith in Christ and experience what it feels like to swing from the tallest of skyscrapers--ultimately powerful, absolutely free, amazingly transformed.