The Warrior's Journey: Enter the Cave
In all good stories, there comes a point where the warrior must transform into the person needed to accomplish their mission. Despite our wishes, often we are not the person we need to be to reach our destination; we are only the person needed for the journey. To attain our calling—whether it be a job, a healthy relationship, or a deeper relationship with Jesus—it is necessary to step into transformation from who we are to what is needed. I call this act of transformation “entering the cave.”
In many of our culture’s famous stories, the protagonist undergoes a personal transformation by literally entering a cave. In the cave, the hero is vulnerable, scared, and must face a fatal flaw or obstacle within themselves, transforming into something new to meet the task at hand. Bruce Wayne could not become Batman until he faced his ironic fear of bats in the cave and transformed into something new. Similarly, Luke Skywalker, while training under Master Yoda to become a Jedi, had to enter a cave and confront his deepest fear—that he and Darth Vader are no different. Luke had to come to terms with the potential of becoming just like his arch-nemesis.
A favorite example of mine is from "The Lord of the Rings" and involves Aragorn, the rightful heir to the kingdom of Gondor, who hides as a ranger named Strider. Embarrassed and ashamed of some decisions his ancestors made, he rejects the throne. To save Middle-earth, however, Aragorn must enter a cave and perform a task only the King of Gondor could accomplish, confronting and redeeming his ancestral shame and becoming the thing he was avoiding his whole life. He enters as a ranger and exits as a king.
These are modern media’s most famous warriors, but they only became warriors inside the cave—the place of facing fears, flaws, and truths about themselves, allowing the necessary transformation to happen.
Not all warriors fight literal battles or save the world. Some of the best never lifted their hand against another. In the book of Genesis, we see this play out. Abraham had two sons: Esau and Jacob. Esau was exactly what we imagine when we think of a warrior—big, hairy, and loved hunting. Jacob, on the other hand, was a mama’s boy. Instead of hunting, he learned how to cook and lacked the overtly masculine physique of his older brother. True to his name, which meant “deceiver,” Jacob used his cunning to trick his brother and father, stealing the family blessing—the most valuable thing in the family. When Esau discovered the trickery, he decided to kill Jacob. Knowing he could not win a physical confrontation, Jacob fled and received a vision from God promising protection. Yet, Jacob continued his deceitful ways, tricking his father-in-law out of wealth and again found himself on the run.
Jacob's turning point came when he found himself between Esau's territory and his enraged father-in-law. With no options left, Jacob entered solitude that night and wrestled with God, demanding a blessing and refusing to let go. During this struggle, God dislocated Jacob’s hip and asked, “What is your name?” When Jacob answered, God changed his name to Israel, meaning “one who wrestles with God and men and is victorious.” Only after this transformation did God bless Jacob, now Israel, allowing him to continue his journey. This change was beyond aesthetic or surface-level identity; it happened in the deepest recesses of his heart. He became the person who could accomplish what was previously impossible. He made peace with both his father-in-law and brother, becoming a wiser, more ethical father who understood the need for divine provision over his own cunningness. Jacob could never do these things; Israel, however, could. Though not perfect and faced with many trials, Israel was never lacking because he had become the person needed to fulfill God's calling.
We are all becoming something, whatever it may be. Bruce Wayne could have become a murderer, Luke Skywalker like Darth Vader, and Aragorn the type of coward his ancestors were. Instead, they entered the cave and confronted the exact thing keeping them from becoming what was needed for what laid ahead of them. What is the “cave” in our life we need to enter? Is there an aspect of our life we are afraid of addressing, or feel powerless to overcome? Is there a part of our hearts that, though perfect for answering God's call, needs transformation to fulfill His plan? Enter that cave with fear and trembling, understanding that transformation is hard work and requires faithful surrender to God and trust in the help of others. But the result surpasses our wildest expectations. We don’t just become a better us, but a new, greater thing altogether.