Change: Encanto Series

   One insect that is used as an example of change is a caterpillar. Caterpillars go through a transformation. They eat a lot, go into cocoons, and come out completely changed. This transformation is what the song "Dos Oruguitas" from Encanto is talking about.

   While the original lyrics are in Spanish, it does not change its profoundness. It talks about two caterpillars in love in a changing world. But, in order for these caterpillars to grow they had to leave one another. If they did not, they would not be able to be in cocoons and change into butterflies. So they went into cocoons, became butterflies, and realized that in order to grow more they needed to be apart.

The whole song is a metaphor for Abuela's life. She had to run from her home, and she did with her husband. But her husband died during their escape. That's a lot of change for a young mother of 3. Then she had to pick up, move on, and grow alone.

   That's actually a lot like our lives. Yes, we are to be in relationship with others because God created us as relational beings. But the most important relationship we can have is the one we have with God. If we are not in relationship with God, then we will not grow in him. 

   Colossians 1:10 says: "So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." We are to walk with God. We are to bear fruit. What fruit? The fruit of the spirit. We are to spread the good news of the Gospel. To do all of that, we must have relationship with God. We must be growing in him.

   Is growth easy? No, usually it is uncomfortable. Do you think it's all peaches and cream in that cocoon? A caterpillar changing completely and growing wings. That's probably a bit uncomfortable. But do you think that butterfly regrets going through that change and growth after its done? Probably not because they can fly! Imagine what God can do with us if we allow him to change us and help us grow!

   So, are you spending time with God each day? How has God helped you grow in him? How can you grow in God today?

   Link to lyrics for "Dos Oruguitas" https://lyricstranslate.com/en/dos-oruguitas-two-little-caterpillars.html

What Else Can I Do But Wear A Mask: Encanto Series

    Have you ever felt like you were not allowed to make mistakes? Have you ever felt pressure to be perfect? Have you ever put a mask on because you felt like people wouldn't like the real you? That's exactly what Isabella is feeling like. She sings all about it in the song "What Else Can I Do?"

   Isabella is the eldest child in Mirabel's family. Her gift was she could make flowers. She is called the "golden child" by Mirabel. She was viewed as beautiful and perfect by many in the town. As the oldest, she was expected to marry and have more children who would also carry on with new gifts to help the town.

   That's a lot of pressure. It's no wonder she sings this song. She made a flower that wasn't perfect. It was sharp and different. There's a line in the song that says: "What could I do if I just knew it didn't need to be perfect? It just needed to be? And they'd let me be?" Isabella is crying out that she just wants to be herself. When I was a teacher, I used to tell my students all the time that they should be themselves because there's no one else like them. They are unique. I also tell them it's okay to make mistakes. Mistakes help us learn and grow.

   Psalm 139:14 says "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well." We are wonderfully made. All different. All unique. All loved by God. God is so creative that he made each of us different. We have his creativity in us. 

   Why should we put so much pressure on ourselves to be perfect? We can never reach perfection. We will fail if we try. God doesn't ask for perfection. He asks for growth. He asks that we trust Jesus as our savior. He asks that we use the gifts he has given us to reflect his glory. Why should be try to be like someone else when God loves us just as we are?

   So, are you wearing a mask? Are you using your gifts to reflect God's glory? How can you use your gifts to reflect God's glory today?

 

We Don't Talk About Feeling Alone: Encanto Series

    We've all felt it at one point or another in our lives: loneliness. One character in Encanto felt loneliness a bit more than others: Bruno. Bruno's gift was that he could see into the future. You can imagine how this would not make him the most popular person as he sometimes had to deliver bad news. In fact, there's a whole song in the movie called "We Don't Talk About Bruno" which talks about how Bruno delivered bad news.

   There's a person in the Bible who reminds me a lot of Bruno. His name is Joseph. Joseph had dreams where he saw the future. A future that was good for him, but not so good for others. Because of these dreams, his family alienated him. In fact, his brothers sold him into slavery because of his dreams.

   Joseph was taken to a new country (Egypt), he didn't know the language, and he didn't believe in their gods. Talk about loneliness! To make matters worse, he was falsely accused and thrown in prison. 

   Like Joseph, Bruno was in a prison as well. He hid in the walls of the house that his family lived in. The reason? He didn't want to give bad news anymore. 

   You may feel like you are in a prison of some sort of your own. You may feel alone. Deuteronomy 31:6 says "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you." This verse reminds us we are never alone. We can have courage because God is always with us. No matter how lonely we feel, God is there. He has a plan. We just need to trust in him.

   Joseph trusted in God, and he was rewarded. He saved Egypt and his whole family from famine. Things worked out for Bruno as well. He realized his family loved him for who he was. 

   So, no matter how lonely you feel, do you remember who you can lean on? When you do feel lonely what can you do to remember you aren't alone?

 

All the Pressure: Encanto Series

    Do you ever feel like you have so much going on in your life that it's too much? Do you ever feel pressure to be perfect all the time? Do you ever feel like showing emotion is weakness? Then you will relate to the song "Surface Pressure" from Encanto.

   This song is sung by Mirabel's older sister Luisa. Luisa's gift is strength. When someone in the village needed something moved, they would go to Luisa. There was a problem though. Luisa was strong physically, but she may have felt like she needed to be strong emotionally as well. She was the "rock" of the family. That is a lot of pressure. What happens to something if you put too much pressure on it? It breaks.

   See, like Luisa, sometimes we put too much on us. We are not perfect. We never were and we never were meant to be. There was only one perfect man and he walked on water. You can't do that. I can't do that. So why do we feel like we must be perfect all the time? 

   Maybe it is because we live in a world where an emphasis is put on success, money, having it all, etc. We feel if we fail, we are letting someone down. But in failing we learn. In failing we grow. In failing we see the need for a perfect savior. 

   Matthew 11:28-30 reminds us of this when it says: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." God wants us to come to him with our problems. He wants us to trust in him. He wants us to confess our sins to him so we can be with him in eternity. God doesn't expect perfection. He expects confession, love, and faith. He then gives us hope. We don't need to stress or feel pressure because God has taken that away with his Son's work on the cross.

   So, what are you stressing about today? How can you remember to trust in God instead of leaning on your own power?

 

 

Waiting On a Miracle: Encanto Series

    One member of the family Madrigal, other than the grandma, does not have a gift. Her name is Mirabel. She feels left out and forgotten. Thus, why she sings "Waiting on a Miracle." She wants a gift. She wants a chance to show others what she can do. Mirabel so wants to help her family and others just so she feels included, like a member of the family. But she feels like it is too late for a miracle. 

   What about you? In the last blog, we talked about how we all have gifts given to us by God. You have a gift, so what am I talking about here? Well, sometimes I feel like we are always looking forward to something that we forget to enjoy each moment. Each day is a gift. Each day is special. Each day we have a choice to use our time for us or for God. 

   Ephesians 5:16 talks about this when it says: "Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." The days are evil, what does that mean? It means that time on earth is short. Things on earth will pass away. Only what we do for eternity will matter in the long run. 

   That means many of the things we think of as problems do not really matter. Does this mean God doesn't care about your problems? No, but it means sometimes we focus on the wrong things. 

   Sometimes we pray for a miracle when there is one right in front of us. Sometimes we miss what God is doing because we want things done our way. We want a quick fix. But God does things in his own time. He does everything for a reason. So maybe rather focusing on the fix we want, we should focus on eternal things. We should focus on God and what he is doing through situations and people.

   Are you focused on your wishes or God's plan? What miracles do you see God doing in your life right now?

 

Using Your Gifts: Encanto Series

    The opening of the movie Encanto is a song called "The Family Madrigal." In the song, Mirabel tells village children about her family. See the Madrigal family is special because most of them have a special power. 

   These powers include healing, strength, the ability to talk to animals, control of the weather, and more. Each member of the family with powers has a job that helps the village thrive. And the village people are grateful for what this family does for them. 

   You may not have a special power like this family, but you do have a gift. Romans 12:6 talks about how we have spiritual gifts. It says: "We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith." God created us all unique and gave us each a different mission field. He gives us gifts to use for that mission and to reflect his glory. 

   Think about it: you are so special to God that he gave you the opportunity to be a part of His story. He gave you unique gifts and a unique mission. Without you, someone may not be blessed. That's not to say that God will not bless that person if you choose not to use your gifts. But it is to say you have been given the opportunity. You are an important part of the body of Christ. You are unique. You are loved. It is amazing to think about.

   So, what are your gifts? Are you using them to reflect God's glory?

 

Tell Them What They Can Do

    Have you ever been asked if you are a religious person? I have. It's a hard question to answer. I think that's because most people think of Christianity as a religion; and, in the eyes of the world, it is. But Christianity is different from any other religion. It is different because we don't just have religion we have relationship.

   Religion means rules and don'ts. It means you have guidelines for what you can and cannot do. And, yes, Christianity has parts of that. Like we should follow the ten commandments which tell us things like don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't lie, etc. But Christianity is mainly about the relationship between you and God.

   God sent Jesus to die on the cross so that he could be with us. When we sin, we become unholy, and God cannot be with anyone unholy. Jesus' blood makes us holy. When we choose to accept him as savior, he becomes the sacrifice needed to make us holy. Now we can have direct access to God. We can pray to him, and he hears us. He also can communicate with us, if we listen. 

   This whole principle reminds me of how in my education courses in college we were taught to have rules that told the children what they could do instead of what they can't. For example, rather than having the rule "don't run" have the rule that you should "walk." Most of us don't like to be told what we shouldn't do. We'd rather be told what we can do. And that's what relationship does. Christianity tells us we can go to God. We should show love to others. We should spread the gospel. Christianity is a relationship more than a religion and I'm so thankful for that.

   So, do you have a relationship with God? What are you thankful for about Christianity?