Let's talk about Disney for a sec.
Some of you, like me, just got excited. Anything Disney makes you smile
(And for those anti-Disney enthusiasts, that's another blog for another day).
I want to talk to ya'll about Moana.
I remember seeing the trailer for it waaaay back when and thinking,
"Ew, Disney. Why? A greek god with special, supernatural powers?
A super, scary lava monster?" I was pretty judgmental and close-minded, telling myself that my then, year old son and newborn daughter) wouldn't watch it.
Well, add that to the 163957 words I've had to eat as a parent. I caved and watched it one day and had a lot of problems with it.
I couldn't get over Maui singing, "no need to pr-ay, just s-ay you're wel-come..."
"DON'T PRAYYYY?? OH, MY MERCY, they just had a demi-god tell all these little Disney children not to pray!" And the whole crazy Grandma thing with the reincarnation of the sting ray. Oooook, Disney. Ok. Strike 2.
The last thing that ticked my little goody-goody shoes off was the inevitable, disrespectful, disobedient, strong willed child who defies her parents and instead of seeing the lesson in trusting your authorities, she actually "gets away with it" and is even "rewarded" for her defiance.
Eye roll. A modern day Ariel...the princess I've never been a fin of...fan of.
Anyway, anyway, anyway...some of you are reading and you're like,
"Right on, Carrie! Disney really messed this one up. Boo, Moana."
And others of you are like, "Ew, Carrie. I don't like you and your religious self right now."
But listen.
I watched it again. And then another time. I started to change my mind on a few things and I actually prayed about it...and I felt comfortable letting the babies watch parts of it and they LOVED it. I mean, LOVED.
Here's what I learned:
-Moana, a 16 year old girl who is being called by something i.e., a god - the all powerful, all-knowing, ocean.
-She doesn't disrespect her parents, but rather, her parents are LIKE ME, parenting out of fear instead of faith. Which, ends up deterring Moana from her calling. That's big for me. I want good, godly things for my children. We all do. But what if my good and godly plans are not in line with the destiny God has called them to? MIND. BLOWN.
-So, at the end, Maui (the big o muscle man demi god) and Moana, take on the larger than life, creepy/demonic looking lava monster i.e. THE SCARIEST villain in all of Disney history. You thought Jafar was scary? Ursula? Nope. Nope. This Lava Monster is so scary I forwarded through the parts with it in it because I knew it would give my babies bad dreams...let alone me....of course, I am a big fraidy cat of anything remotely scary looking, so you let me know what you think. ANYWAY! The lava monster.
Moana realizes that the lava monster isn't actually a monster at all. It's the "god of creation", Te Fiti. So, Moana tells Maui, who is trying to defeat the horrible monster with all his might, to stop and "let her come to me."
And then it happens.
Moana, like every Disney princess, begins to sing. And in a beautiful and confident voice, fearlessly sings these words as the lava monster crawls towards her (and you're just certain that he's going to eat her alive).
THIS. GIVES. ME. CHILLS.
"I have crossed the horizon to find you.
I know your name.
They have stolen the heart from inside you.
But this does not define you.
This is not who you are.
You know who you are."
Y'all. Are you crying yet?
Isn't that just like us? We are going through life as best we can and somewhere along the line, we get hurt. We toughen up. Put up a wall. Guard our heart so that it won't happen again. And we march on. And then, it happens again. And again. And again. Before long, we've put up so many walls that our heart is no where to be found. It's scattered all over..a piece here...a piece there. Some pieces given away. Others taken. We've lost sight of who we are. Who we truly are.
I know I can relate. It's so easy to let our circumstances dictate who we are. To let our weaknesses define us. Our sins and mistakes overshadow all our goodness and value.
And then, He calls to us.
"I have crossed the horizon to find you."
(I know this implies that God searches for us, which would imply that He didn't know our whereabouts...when the truth is, He is right by our side. It's US who when we search for HIM, discover that He has never left our side).
"I know your name."
(You're His favorite. I'm His favorite. He made you with a very specific purpose in mind. You are not an understudy or an extra. You're THE main character. The lead role).
"They have stolen the heart from inside you."
(Hurt after hurt. Broken relationships. Abuse. Addiction. Every tear. Every heartache. Every person that made you think you were worthless and invaluable.)
"But this does not define you."
(Your x's opinion about you does not define you. Your dependency on drugs or alcohol does not define you. The number on the scale does not define you. Your childhood does not define you. Your job does not define you. Your education does not define you. the number of likes and followers on your social media account does not define you.)
"This is not who you are."
You aren't just a pretty face. You aren't a overworked husband who feels unappreciated. You aren't a washer woman and a cook 'n clean who walks around your own home invisible and unacknowledged. You are not a disappointment to you parents. You are not a failure. You are not stupid. You are not incapable of love. You are not unworthy of love.
"You know who you are."
(And if you don't, I know someone who does. His name is Jesus. He made you, beloved. He took careful and thoughtful time in creating you. He smiled as He weaved your very heart together, thinking and dreaming of every single chapter of your life. Hoping and praying that in those hard chapters, in those valleys, you'd hold fast to Him and to His promises. Such dreams for you. Such plans. Mighty callings. Not just for people like Chip Henderson or Billy Graham. The Queen of England, Priscilla Shirer, Beth Moore, The Pope! No. A calling for YOU. Beautiful. Wonderful. Perfect You.)
Scooch on over to youtube and watch the clip where Moana sings to the Lava Monster. Or better yet, grab you some popcorn and nice, icy coke and snuggle up to the whole feature film. And if you need reminding of who you are, I am happy to help with that, too.
"All I can say is, you're welcome..."
Carrie
Glory Active Team Member
Glory Active | gloryactive.com | What You Wear Reflects Who You Are
