So, I have a two-year-old little girl, therefore I watch Tangled a fair amount. In the process of reading devotionals and studying my Bible the other day to the sounds of Mandy Moore as Rapunzel it occurred to me that maybe, just maybe, there is a Jesus story in there somewhere.
For those of you who may not be as familiar with this movie as I am, here’s a short synopsis. In the story, the little princess (Rapunzel) was taken from the King and Queen. She is stolen by a nice so nice lady who tells her lies to keep her locked up in the tower to solely benefit the woman (Mother Gothel). However, the King and Queen refuse to give up. She’s their daughter. She belongs to them. She’s a princess. So, they send out lanterns every year to remember the little lost princess, and to hopefully lead her home. Now, through all these years (18 to be exact) Rapunzel is seeing these lights every year and she knows somehow that they are meant for her. It’s what drives her to escape the grasp of the evil mother figure. It’s what gives her to courage to face her fears. It’s what helps her find her family.
Go with me here down the rabbit hole for a little while and see if you don’t agree. We as humans are Rapunzel. We are being held captive by Satan. He wants to use us for his own benefit no matter what it does to us. He likes to separate us from the rest of the world, but out in God’s creation and among his people we will find the truth. But, God, the King refuses to give up. He sends us signs that He is still searching for us. And, he sent the light of the world, Jesus, to this place for us. The lights are meant for us. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are what drive us to escape the grasp of Satan and our own flesh. Our faith in God and His Spirit dwelling in us is how we can find the courage to face our deepest fears and overcome our biggest hurdles. Seeking out the light: Jesus will lead us to our family: the church.
Now, take it a step further with me. In the movie it’s not just the King and Queen that send out these lanterns, it’s the whole kingdom. So, if we keep going with my analogy, those of us who are already a part of the kingdom have to send out the light into the world as well. We have to share the light, Jesus, with a lost world. Without the whole kingdom getting involved Rapunzel would never have returned. If we don’t all get involved in sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then our lost brothers and sisters may never return.
Finally, Rapunzel knows that there is more to this life than the broken way that she’s been living. She knows that there is something else out there that is calling to her. It’s drawing her in, or out as the case may be. When we are not in a relationship with God, it hurts him. Just like the King and Queen are hurt that they do not have their daughter. So, because God knows that he can give us more than this world, he draws us to himself. He allows things in our lives that make us feel the pain of the gap between the way things are and the way things are meant to be. We look around us and think, “Things are supposed to be different.” There is more truth in that statement than we realize sometimes. I believe that those things that are the most confusing or painful or uncomfortable to us are the very things that God uses to show us that we were made for more than this world in its current state.
I think about my struggle with food. It’s real. It’s hard. It’s even depressing and painful. I have cried out to God and friends along the way. I have begged for an answer to this question: “Why? Why can’t I be like other people? Why does a struggle with food have to show up in absorbent weight gain that everyone can see?” That gap between the way it is and the way it’s supposed to be points me to God. In that question, if I really listen, there’s God calling me home. He’s saying, “Jamie, because I miss you and you have a more frequent relationship with food than you do with me.”
I have no idea what gap God uses as light to call you back home. It could be food like me, or it might be working too hard, sex, addiction, money, maybe it’s even the church (pretty sure the gap in the Church is an entirely different post for a different day). No matter what it is, the King wants you to come home. He will draw you in by whatever works for you to see the lack in your life. Rapunzel knew something was missing in the way she lived her life. Now, every time I see or hear that movie I’m reminded that God wants me to come back to him. Are you a lost princess (or prince) today? If so, so find the light and go home.
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