“…for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” –Romans 3:23
Several people have asked me, “When are you going to comment on the movie Frozen? My response? “As soon as I see it.” I’d heard it was a fun movie for kids, but also a movie with an important message for us grown-ups as well.
Last weekend, we travelled to Des Moines to spend the weekend with Elizabeth, Mark and our two grandkids, Reese and Lucy. Our best friends Donny and Lisa, Mark’s parents, were there as well. One of the highlights of the weekend was going to see…you guessed it…Frozen! It was adapted from the Hans Christian Andersen classic The Snow Queen. I have no idea what message the producers intended (I probably don’t want to know), but it did speak truth to me as it’s spoken to so many.
The original premise of the movie is the “curse” that the older sister, Elsa, the princess of Arendelle, possesses. Technically, she has cryokinesis, the magical ability to create ice and snow. It’s not explained why she was born with the curse, but her inability to be rid of her icy powers forms the plot of the movie. In any early scene, her ability to form ice and snow injures her younger sister, Anna.
So her parents decided to isolate Elsa and her powers to her room in the castle where she is banned from involvement with her sister. Her private life shields the world from her powers, but creates a closed and lonely Elsa whose only view of the world is cold and cruel. But it makes sense: if one possesses the ability to hurt others, just cover it up, “Out of sight, out of mind.”
That same premise forms the plot of our lives as well. We are all born with a curse called sin. Our recognition of that curse and its solution has everything to do with whether we live a full or empty life.
Some psychologists and scientists have attempted to deny that humanity is inherently sinful or ‘bad.’ For example, the founder of humanistic psychology, Abraham Maslow, said: “As far as I know we just don't have any intrinsic instincts for evil.” Agreeing with Maslow is noted psychologist Carl Rogers who stated, “I do not find that…evil is inherent in human nature.” Both Maslow and Rogers dismiss sin and instead say if a person is committing evil acts, then the “patient” is psychologically ill and must be brought back to mental sanity through medication and therapy.
However, history has shown that the evil actions of humanity transcend mere mental disorders. We all are born with a sin nature. It only requires working an hour in any nursery to see that everyone is innately self-centered and self- focused. We are all products of the fall of man and have a void in our hearts at birth.
Elsa eventually retreats to her own ice castle to live out her life of seclusion. But her little sister Anna is determined to rescue her sister.
Elsa will eventually deal with her curse, but only after she deals with her cursed nature. We void our curse by recognizing the curse, our inability to fix it on our own, and surrender to a loving and “curse destroying” Savior, Jesus Christ.
As John Calvin put it, “For certainly, Christ is much more powerful to save than Adam was to ruin.” May we all face our curse and surrender ourselves to a loving God…
…to melt our frozen hearts.
By Eric Joseph Staples ©
www.lifeaid101.com
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Frozen, Part One: The Curse
“…for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” –Romans 3:23
Several people have asked me, “When are you going to comment on the movie Frozen? My response? “As soon as I see it.” I’d heard it was a fun movie for kids, but also a movie with an important message for us grown-ups as well.
Last weekend, we travelled to Des Moines to spend the weekend with Elizabeth, Mark and our two grandkids, Reese and Lucy. Our best friends Donny and Lisa, Mark’s parents, were there as well. One of the highlights of the weekend was going to see…you guessed it…Frozen! It was adapted from the Hans Christian Andersen classic The Snow Queen. I have no idea what message the producers intended (I probably don’t want to know), but it did speak truth to me as it’s spoken to so many.
The original premise of the movie is the “curse” that the older sister, Elsa, the princess of Arendelle, possesses. Technically, she has cryokinesis, the magical ability to create ice and snow. It’s not explained why she was born with the curse, but her inability to be rid of her icy powers forms the plot of the movie. In any early scene, her ability to form ice and snow injures her younger sister, Anna.
So her parents decided to isolate Elsa and her powers to her room in the castle where she is banned from involvement with her sister. Her private life shields the world from her powers, but creates a closed and lonely Elsa whose only view of the world is cold and cruel. But it makes sense: if one possesses the ability to hurt others, just cover it up, “Out of sight, out of mind.”
That same premise forms the plot of our lives as well. We are all born with a curse called sin. Our recognition of that curse and its solution has everything to do with whether we live a full or empty life.
Some psychologists and scientists have attempted to deny that humanity is inherently sinful or ‘bad.’ For example, the founder of humanistic psychology, Abraham Maslow, said: “As far as I know we just don't have any intrinsic instincts for evil.” Agreeing with Maslow is noted psychologist Carl Rogers who stated, “I do not find that…evil is inherent in human nature.” Both Maslow and Rogers dismiss sin and instead say if a person is committing evil acts, then the “patient” is psychologically ill and must be brought back to mental sanity through medication and therapy.
However, history has shown that the evil actions of humanity transcend mere mental disorders. We all are born with a sin nature. It only requires working an hour in any nursery to see that everyone is innately self-centered and self- focused. We are all products of the fall of man and have a void in our hearts at birth.
Elsa eventually retreats to her own ice castle to live out her life of seclusion. But her little sister Anna is determined to rescue her sister.
Elsa will eventually deal with her curse, but only after she deals with her cursed nature. We void our curse by recognizing the curse, our inability to fix it on our own, and surrender to a loving and “curse destroying” Savior, Jesus Christ.
As John Calvin put it, “For certainly, Christ is much more powerful to save than Adam was to ruin.” May we all face our curse and surrender ourselves to a loving God…
…to melt our frozen hearts.
By Eric Joseph Staples ©
www.lifeaid101.com
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