Poetry Devotion: Lessons From Elsa

Deep within me- there is
ice, born with it
they say

I know no days without ice-
sharp, and protruding deeper
pangs, cries of anguish
Can't you hear them all?
I whisper to the empty walls
Can't you hear me when the ice
strikes deeper, isolation
remains silent

I thrash at my skin
hating my heart-
its roots thicken-
life shivering
surging for survival
for warmth of any form-
isn't this enough?
Shall I have a heart of
ice, that feels no warm
and knows nothing
of life

Let me begin by saying this; God can use anyone, anything and everything for His glory. Sometimes I can't help but be humored in the many medians He does use to get my attention. All it took this time was a simple, light hearted, animated Disney princess movie, Frozen. (As a side note, I HIGHLY recommend this movie to each and every one of you - it's just that fabulous.) Little did I know entering the theater that God was about to rock my world.
First thing's first, a little background. The movie is about two princess sisters, Elsa and Ana. Elsa was born with a wintery curse that turns everything she touches into ice, and just so happens that she ends up being able to set off an eternal winter. But, that's besides the point. The only thing you need to know is that Elsa hid her curse for much of her life. Her sister, Ana, was kept away from her. Later on, something causes Elsa to publicly reveal her curse out of anger and, like I said, created an eternal winter.

Frightened, Elsa retreats far into the mountains. It is here that Elsa is finally able to come to terms with her curse. Here on this mountain, she is free. She does not have to hide her curse. Elsa retreats, flees from the life she has always known in hiding and comes out in the open with her curse. She is set free from a life of hiding, pretending, and being afraid of herself. Elsa then uses this curse to build a beautiful house on the side of the mountain.

Pause here with me for a moment. You're probably thinking... "This chick is way too obsessed with this Frozen movie. What could it possibly have to do with God?" Well, the first part is more than likely true, but God is displayed in this story. Put yourself in Elsa's shoes. Just like her, you too were born with a cold, sinful curse. It has dictated your life since day one. This curse has caused you to do things that hurt you, ashamed you and hardened your heart even more. Just like Elsa, you've been hiding. You've been hiding your sins deep within your heart and they fester there. Letting the bitterness swell and the regret take root. You look back on things you've done and just like Elsa you feel trapped. Who are you anymore? If you're like me, you've asked yourself that many, many times.

So, you push it deeper. You hide it in your heart; you hide it from those you love; you hide it from everyone. What would they think, right? Right, I understand, ya'll we've all been there more than once. The question reoccurs over in your head that you just don't know where to turn, you don't know what to do. You just don't know where to turn. Well, here's where you turn.....

You turn around. Complete 180 degrees. You turn until your back in on your sin and you just make a run for it. Run as fast as you possibly can because that life cannot and will not have a hold on you any longer. You will not live in fear, you will not live in hiding. You will live in freedom. Freedom that is true in the blood of Jesus, found in the blood of Jesus. Because Jesus died to give you this freedom, in and through Him.

But, to run for freedom, you must run towards Christ. Elsa sings a song when she reaches the mountain top that expresses her freedom. The words of the song are beautiful but the chorus, I feel, is what God is singing to you. He sings, "Let it go, Let it go, Can't hold it back anymore, Let it go, Let it go". He beckons you to let His light shine on your hidden curse so that you can bring it to the surface, and "let it go" into His hands. As Elsa sings this song, she transforms, completing her change. Her gown goes from pretty to extravagant. She radiates with a beauty and confidence she has never experienced. God transforms you and I, He does. He transforms us when we "let it go" into His hands. In Him we are changed not for the better; we are changed for the best. Confidence, freedom... life.


What then? What about what's left over, still harbored inside? Well, in the movie, Elsa is faced with melting all that she had frozen over (an entire country by the way!). Long story short, Elsa learns that only true love can melt what her heart has frozen over. In the same way, only God can heal and melt away the ice crystals in your heart. Only God's love can restore life. God loves the hidden, the broken, the cold and everywhere in-between. And only God can get you out of your eternal winter.

"In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence." Ephesians 3:12

(Here's the song if you would like to check it out!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moSFlvxnbgk

Courtesy of YouTube and the official Disney Animation channel.