This morning I stood in front of the television deciding what to put on as the background to our morning. We were all ready for our day with an hour to spare. I wanted to check in on the news. Ready to hear the latest stats, and what is happening around the world. My worried heart wanted to sit and watch the live streams uninterrupted, my fear wanted to jump into the front seat of my car and take the wheel.
However, sitting at my feet were my little children absorbing everything that echoed through our house. Then something really simple happened, I chose a playlist of Disney tunes over the news. A very simple switch but something really profound awakened in my household. Hope peaked around the corner from our corridor and told fear to go away.
You would think that listening to a Disney soundtrack would be an act of avoidance, but the funny thing is this; I have never watched a film from Disney that has not held within it a story of courage, resilience and hope. Every storyline teaches our next generation about showing up and being seen in the midst of adversity and loss.
The first song belted through my living room from Frozen, singing the lyrics…
“The snow glows white on the mountain tonight
Let it go.
Not a footprint to be seen
A kingdom of isolation
And it looks like I’m the queen the wind is howling like this swirling storm inside
Couldn’t keep it in, heaven knows I’ve tried
Don’t let them in, don’t let them see
Be the good girl you always have to be
Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know
Well, now they knowLet it go, let it go”
The next song flicked onto our screens from Moana with these words…
“I know a girl from an island
I am Moana.
She stands apart from the crowd
She loves the sea and her people
She makes her whole family proud
Sometimes the world seems against you
The journey may leave a scar
But scars can heal and reveal just
Where you are
The people you love will change you
The things you have learned will guide you
And nothing on earth can silence
The quiet voice still inside you”
From Beauty and the Beast…
“There’s been a change in me
Change in Me.
A kind of moving on
Though what I used to be
I still depend upon
For now, I realize
That good can come from bad
That may not make me wise
But oh it makes me glad”
The power of story to transport us to a place of hope and light is so beautiful. I am choosing to focus on words that build life into my family in this season, over ones of doom and destruction.
Last weekend as a family we watched the latest Disney/ Pixar release of Onward. And the power of entering an adventure of a lifetime and leaning into the unknown is not lost on me in this season.
In the midst of everything that is happening, my dear readers, I am NOT suggesting you stop listening to our government, or leaders to seek out the information that you need in this season of the world. But I am suggesting that…
- We are careful about what information we allow our kids to overhear. Creating opportunity for these emotions and fears to be unpacked in a way that they understand. Also, allow opportunities for them to seek out safety and understanding.
- Don’t believe everything you read or hear? Make sure you use critical thinking and wisdom in the application of what is happening for your family.
- Counterbalance the hysteria and worry, with moments of hope, inspiration and resilience. As we watch movies with our families, remind them what it is like to live with courage. The human capacity to rise in the tide of love and hope is very powerful.
My week four video for this Seek Devotional is all about Seeking Wisdom and the timing of this message couldn’t be any more profound to me. You can start your devotional today, through the videos available at the link above.
