I love to tag along on amazing adventures with great heroes. However, the funny thing I've noticed about movie heroes—like Indiana Jones, Luke Skywalker, and Harry Potter—is that they aren't perfect. They, like any of us, have flaws and weaknesses. Despite their shortcomings, however, these heroes overcome their weakness to become something more. This is what makes them so interesting to watch. It allows us imperfect people to relate to them. If they can do it, we think, so can I.

Imperfect heroes aren't just in the movies. The heroes of the Bible also aren't perfect (well, except for Jesus). From Abraham to the Apostle Paul, the great figures of faith were real people with flaws of their own, but God worked through them despite their issues. In fact, God often shaped them—through their flaws—into the heroes they were. Why? Because his power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

The flawed heroes from Scripture are so much like those in the cinema that I found similar pairs of heroes who all faced—and overcame—five common weaknesses.

Flaw #1: Deceitfulness
Captain Jack Sparrow and Jacob (Genesis 25-50) share a major character flaw: They're both tricksters who exploit the needs and emotions of others to get what they want. The Pirates of the Caribbean captain is an opportunist whose motto is, "Take all you can! Give nothing back!" Not a very heroic motto. And Jacob's very name means "he grasps the heel," a phrase indicating he's a deceiver who takes advantage of others. Jacob took advantage of his older brother Esau's hunger in order to get Esau to sell him his inheritance. Then, he tricked his blind father into giving him Esau's blessing.

When those he was manipulated turned the tables on him, Jack Sparrow's deceptions came back around to bite him (literally—he was eaten by the kraken!). Likewise, Jacob was tricked into marrying the wrong woman. Both Jack and Jacob's deceptions backfired, and both of them consequently had to pay heavy punishments for their treachery.

In the end, both men were redeemed. Jack sacrificially saved his friends, freed the Caribbean of a tyrant, and was regarded as a hero. So, too, we remember Jacob as a hero of our faith. He humbly sought his brother's forgiveness and depended on God alone.

Flaw #2: Fear
In The Incredibles, Violet is a shy, insecure teenager who fears rejection by her peers. Being the daughter of Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, she has inherited her own super-trait: Turning invisible at will. Her invisibility symbolizes her desire to avoid being seen because she fears attention—especially from the boy she likes. She's afraid of rejection and worried that she's not worth much so she stays quiet and unseen. Eventually, she has to overcome her fears with courage to become the heroine she is meant to be.

There's a young girl in Bible times very much like Violet. Through a series of fateful circumstances, Esther became the queen of Persia. Years later, she learned of a plot to destroy the Jews, but she was afraid to go to her husband, the king. In those times, anyone who went before the king without permission could be put to death. Esther overcame her fear when Mordecai helped her realize she could not remain silent. In fact, he said, she'd "come to royal position for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14, NIV). She did go to the king, spoke her mind and was spared. Her heroic act saved the entire Jewish nation from annihilation, much like Violet's courage helped save the world. (The only difference is that Violet had to fight giant robots.)

Flaw #3: Pride
In Cars, Lightning McQueen is a rookie taking the racing world by storm. The only thing bigger than Lightning's celebrity status is his ego. He has no pit crew chief; he doesn't see the need for one since he's calling the shots. He can't even think of a single friend to invite to the biggest race of his career. Lightning has a character flaw obvious to everyone but himself: pride. When stuck in the little town of Radiator Springs, he discovers there's an entire beautiful world beyond both the racetrack and himself.

Simon Peter could be considered Jesus' right-hand man during the Messiah's time on Earth, but his pride seemed in constant conflict with the spirit of Jesus' ministry. Peter took great pride in his own self-perceived strength. He even went so far as to say to Jesus in Luke 22:33, "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death" (NIV).

"I tell you, Peter," replied Jesus, "before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me" (Luke 22:34, NIV).

Proverbs 16:18 says that pride leads to destruction, and Peter became a living example of this truth. Lightning McQueen's pride kept him from knowing friendship; Peter's pride caused him to turn his back on his best friend. But both were humbled and both discovered what's important in life. As for Peter, he would go on to become one of the greatest evangelists who ever walked the earth.

Flaw #4: Anger
In Spider-Man, Harry Osborn blames Spider-Man for his father's death. He wants revenge. His anger consumes him. In the second movie, he discovers Spider-Man is his best friend Peter Parker. But that doesn't stop his rage. Peter has to pay for what he did, Harry thinks. In Spider-Man 3, he's dead-set upon revenge—if not by killing Peter, then at least by stripping him of happiness.

Harry is like Jonah (Jonah 1-4). The fish-eaten prophet was chosen by God to deliver a message to the sinful people of Nineveh: The city would be destroyed in 40 days unless they repented. Jonah delivered the message, but was all for Nineveh's destruction. Like Harry, he wanted the guilty to get what was coming to them. He got himself a place to sit with a view of the city so that he could see the destruction firsthand. But when the people of Nineveh repented, God showed compassion and spared them. This made Jonah really mad. His anger burned. Both Harry's and Jonah's anger blinded them from seeing what really mattered: compassion, forgiveness, truth and mercy. God showed Jonah he had no right to be angry. In Spider-Man 3, Harry's anger subsided in the face of truth, compassion and forgiveness. He realized his mistake, put aside his anger, and became Peter's indispensable ally.

Flaw #5: A Dark Past
Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings is a lot like Moses in Exodus. Both Moses and Aragorn were in self-imposed exile, trying to escape dark pasts. In The Fellowship of the Ring, Aragorn is heir to a throne. But his rightful throne was tarnished by the power-hungry legacy of his ancestor, King Isildur. When asked why he's afraid of his forefather's legacy, Aragorn says, "The same blood flows in my veins—the same weakness." He fears the past will repeat itself. But Aragorn does eventually overcome the shadow of the past. He rises up, becomes king, and delivers his people from the forces of darkness.

In Exodus 2, Moses also exiles himself, but because of his own past. He killed an Egyptian he had witnessed beating an Israelite. In Exodus 3, God speaks to Moses and tells him to return to Egypt and deliver the Israelites out of Pharaoh's hand. Moses is afraid. Like Aragorn, his past weakens him. He seems to try any excuse he can think of not to go, but like Aragorn, he eventually overcomes his fears and delivers his people from bondage.

Once again, a flawed human becomes a great hero—thanks only to God. In fact, all of these great stories point out the basic truth that we all have flaws to contend with. But they also point to another truth. With God working in us, we too can overcome and be heroes.

Read more from 'Faith & Values'

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