(Spoiler-Warning! If you haven't seen the movie yet and want to watch it, please do so
before you read on!)
Yesterday we watched
Frozen. And I realized – that's 1 John 4:18!
There is
no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has
to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
In the movie, one of
the main characters, Elsa, has amazing ice powers. One day she
accidentally hurts her beloved sister Anna with them. They manage to
heal Anna, but the healer warns them – Elsa's power is getting
stronger and she needs to learn to control it. But her biggest enemy
is fear. So she locks herself away and is getting more and more
afraid of hurting the people she loves with this power while it
continues to grow steadily. She tries to live by what her father told
her: “Conceal, don't feel, don't
let them know. ” So she stored away all
her feelings.
But of course, everyone
who has tried this will find out at one point – hiding your
feelings and trying to run away from something will only lead you
into bigger fear. Exactly the thing she wanted to NOT have.
Things get out of control,
Elsa runs away, Anna tries to get her back, Elsa gets upset and the
most feared for thing happens – Elsa hits her sister's heart with
her ice bolt. Slowly, Anna will turn into ice.
Fear is a source of many
things we don't want to happen. Just think about what you would do
out of fear – things you normally never thought you'd do. Fear
doesn't let you think rationally anymore. It clouds your mind and
sets your emotions into rage. You can't think straight and might be
even doing things you'll regret.
The title song “Let it
go” could be translated into “Let your fear go” and “set your
emotions free”. I know what it's like to store up your emotions and
never allow yourself to let them out. It doesn't do you any good, it
will only turn against you and destroy you from within.
Just like that, Elsa's
emotions get more and more out of control.
When everything turns into
ice and all seems lost, Anna gives herself up for her sister and
misses the seemingly last chance to receive an “act of love” from
the one she loves and who loves her – the only thing that could
help her right now. But she turns into ice, saving her sister.
Yet,
suddenly, Anna starts to turn back into a living human! She was the
one doing the act of love, giving her life for her sister's. That's
when Elsa realizes – Love is the key to defeat fear.
Because love sets free!
2 Timothy
1:7 - For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and
of love, and of a sound mind/self-control.
And where
the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. - 2 Corinthians 3:17
Jesus is the one who
offers us freedom. God is love! (1 John 4:8) Perfect love drives out
all fear! And when you belong to Jesus, you receive his spirit.
Another thing I just realized - when I compare Anna's action to what Jesus did for us, it's a beautiful picture. He gave himself up for the ones he loved and died. This act of love was the key for us to get saved.
And then God brought him back to life so that all who believe in him will have eternal life as well!
I pray that we all will realize in our hearts, like Elsa, that true love drives out fear. And that the only one who can give perfect, pure and never ending love is God.
May he bless you! :)
For other thoughts on Frozen from a Christian point of view (that I just found), see this post.
