I’m a sucker for cartoons; truly. Maybe it’s because I never really grew up. Of course nowadays I can use my kids as an excuse, but I do love animation. And all cards on the table I love Disney and Pixar movies the most. There’s just something about their ability to tell a story. Whether it’s an old man embracing his sense of wonder and adventure again with a floating house or a young adolescent struggling to make sense of her emotions after her family moves cross country or even the loss of innocence told through the eyes of toys, you find yourself caught up in the magic of storytelling and imagination. I can’t really say if I have a favorite or not, but I love certain scenes in all of them. One of my favorite scenes comes from the 1994 hit “The Lion King”. Simba (the protagonist) has run away from his pride and his responsibilities for fear of repercussions from an accident that resulted in the death of his father Mufasa in his early childhood. The scene opens with him being confronted by the old wise baboon Rafiki. After some weird dialog and pestering from the baboon Rafiki says to Simba, “You don’t even know who you are!” SImba’s response, “Oh, and I suppose you know?” “Sure do. You’re Mufasa’s boy!”

Wow! I don’t know if you caught that or not, but I find myself having God moments in movies all the time. And this is one of the best. Rafiki doesn’t tell Simba that he is lost or that he is running away from responsibilities, or that he needs to step up to the plate. No! He tells him, “I know who you are. You are a child of the King!” I think we all to often forget that. So let me remind you of something today.

You are redeemed.

You are priceless.

You are a child of God.

Your Father is the one who spoke everything into existence.

You are the beloved of God.

You are a child of Abraham.

You are a royal priesthood.

You are a holy nation.

You have been set apart, called out and been made new.

You are chosen.

You are friend of the Divine.

You are salt and light.

You have been bought with a price.

You are treasured.

You are God’s pleasure.

You are favored.

You are the bride who waits with expectation for the return of the bridegroom.

The Spirit that gives life to all that is loves you with an undying, never fading, forever enduring love that defeats sin, death and hell and will stop at nothing to show you how much you are worth. You are a daughter of the King. You are a son of the Most High. And not just you, but everyone who steps upon the face of this earth and has the breath of God in their lungs. So let us live into that promise and realize who we truly are. For that changes everything.