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One of the things that amazes me about God is His tendency to show up in just about anything. This could be just my own perception, but I sort of doubt it. God meant for His Kingdom to be our Kingdom, so it makes sense to me that we would see it even in places that have “nothing” to do with God.

This was made so apparent to me while watching “The Lion King” the other night with my roommates. I used to love this movie when I was a child. My little brother and I even made up a little play to go to the soundtrack to it It encompasses some of my favorite memories as a young girl. But watching it as an adult takes on a different meaning. As a child I enjoyed it for many reasons; the humor, the characters, the music, and overall, the story of a little lion who grows up to be a king despite the obstacles placed before him. I mean, in it’s simplest form it is a kid’s movie and it’s entertaining partly because it has an overweight pig who is insecure about his flatulents and another sidekick named Timon who, despite his small size, holds a lot of personality and sarcastic wit. But to see it again with new lenses helps me to see what childhood innocence previously concealed.

The movie depicts well what it looks like to encounter wounds as a child that later disable our experiences as an adult. The most powerful example of this is the scene where Scar kills his brother Mufasa. After coercing Simba into the gorge, which he does by promising him a “big surprise,” he literally puts Simba in mortal danger by sending a stampede of wildebeests to trample him. He then finds Mufasa to save Simba and actually ends up killing after Simba is safe. What is really interesting is the interaction that takes place after Mufasa dies. Scar comes to Simba as he is alone, vulnerable, and incredibly wounded by the death of his father, and the following exchange takes place;

“Simba, what have you done?”

And this is what the enemy of our souls does; after he creates a mess he causes us to look at ourselves to see how it was our fault. He puts shame on us to deflect us from the real criminal; himself.

Simba, in his innocence tries to defend himself saying:

“It was an accident. I didn’t mean for it to happen!”  There is a part of Simba that knows it wasn’t his fault. He knows he did not want his father to die, and in his confusion, Scar again places shame on him; making him guilty for something he in reality had no control over. Scar pretends to empathize with him, saying;

“Of course, of course you didn’t. No one ever “means” for these things to happen. But the king is dead, and if it weren’t for you, he would still be alive.”

He goes even further in his manipulation by pointing out how others that Simba loves will blame him, asking “What will your mother think?”

In desperation, Simba asks Scar what he should do, and Scar responds by saying;”Run. Run away Simba. Run away and never return.”

In shear terror, Simba obeys. He obeys because he believes Scar when he says it is Simba’s fault. He obeys because he believes he will no longer be loved because of his mistake. He obeys because he believes the only way he can survive his shame is to run. Scar not only lies to Simba and sends him away from the ones who would really fight for him, but he also strips him of his inherited identity. By running away from his kingdom, (and by the way, let’s not forget that it was actually Scars’ intention to have Simba killed) he is literally dethroning himself and giving it over to the real enemy. Scar found him in a moment of his deepest wounding, lied to him, put shame on him, stole his identity, and told him the only way to escape his shame was by isolating himself.

Think back to the deepest moments of wounding in your life; what did the enemy tell you?

The good news is that the story does not end there, and nor does ours. Simba does run, but finds companionship, though misdirected in their own ways of coping, in Timon and Pumba. They serve as a community for him when he feels alone, but staying with them also allows him to avoid his pain. Sometimes we immerse ourselves in relationships with unhealthy (or even healthy) people to avoid our pain. It happens. And it’s not all bad. Sometimes we genuinely do need to peace out from out pain because we may not be ready to go there. But we cannot stay there. And neither could Simba, because he was avoiding his destiny. When his childhood friend Nala finds him we again see Scar’s lies creeping up as Simba refuses to tell Nala why he won’t go back to his Kingdom, Pride Rock. Simba runs from her again, and we find him alone, grieving over the loss of his father but blaming himself for it. But Mufasa appears to Simba in this moment (by the way, Simba arrives at this place because of a baboon named Rafiki; remind you of anyone. . . like maybe the Holy Spirit?) and the following dialogue takes place:

Mufasa: “Simba.”

Simba: “Father?”

Mufasa: “Simba, you have forgotten me.”

Simba: “No, no I haven’t!”

Mufasa: “You have forgotten who you are and so forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the circle of life.”

Simba: “How can I go back? I’m not who I used to be!”

Mufasa: “Remember who you are. You are my son. And the one true king.”

“Remember.”

This is what the Father does. He calls us back to our destiny by reminding us that we are His. We have forgotten who we are. We have let the lies of the enemy be our identity instead of taking up our throne. We were meant to be kings and queens of the greatest kingdom, but we believe that we are homeless beggars undeserving of an identity. What Scar told Simba was never true. Simba was afraid to go back to a kingdom that would reject him, but that was never the reality. Simba’s greatest fear revolved around a lie. And his father called him back to his destiny; reminding of the true nature of his identity: his son.

Are we so scared to believe God loves us because we have forgotten who we are? Are the lies we may be believing keeping us from our destiny? Mufasa does not put shame on Simba, he only calls out the truth. And the truth lead Simba back to his kingdom to defeat Scar and take back what is rightfully his.

Take back what is yours. Because you were the joy set before him. Remember who you are.

love, Cindy

In case you need a visual, this is the link to the scene with Mufasa appearing to Simba:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdBV7LTd07g