I'm not ashamed to openly admit that I enjoy the movie Tangled more than the average little girl under the age of 10. And I also quote it like it's my job. Wait, sometimes it is! Really,Tangled can be a popular choice for the kiddos too. :) Actually, it goes a little further than this: I'm proud of my Disney fandom in general, but in particular with Tangled. If you're my friend or family member, but haven't ever seen it, watch it STAT, because I cannot associate with people who haven't seen Tangled and fully appreciate it in all it's glory. (I'll leave it up to you to decide whether or not this whole paragraph is a gross hyperbole or not.) But I digress. The fact that that Tangled is an incredible movie and Flynn Ryder is hands-down the best looking Disney Prince is NOT my point. :) ("You broke my smolder!" Gets me! Every. Time. Okay, sorry! I'm done. Sort of.)
Before I get to my actual point allow me to give you some background and preface things a little bit.
*Spoiler Alert!* So for those of you who haven't seen the movie (if such a person exists!) Tangled is about the story of Rapunzel, Flynn Ryder, and Rapunzel's evil step-mother, Gothel. Rapunzel's hair glows when she sings and has magical, healing powers. Mother Gothel kidnapped Rapunzel as a baby and raised her as her own so that she could basically have her own living, moving, breathing Fountain of Youth and has her continually sing to her so that she maintains her youth. (How Rapunzel remains clueless to this, I don't know. She knows about a lost princess. Knows the words she sings for her "mom". Sees a visible difference in her moms aging when she sings. But she doesn't put two and two together till the last minute. Rapunzel, you're not helping us blondes out here, my friend.) Eventually, a dashing prince, Flynn, comes and takes her away, unbeknownst to Gothel, on an excursion for her birthday. The mission of their excursion is to investigate some floating lanterns that are released every year on her birthday. Eventually, Rapunzel does put the pieces together and realizes that her entire life is essentially a lie. Gothel tries to re-kidnap her, Flynn has a near-death experience trying to help rescue Rapunzel, Gothel dies, Rapunzel's reunited with The King and Queen....blah, blah blah....happily ever after.
So what the heck does this have to do with anything?! Don't worry, cause I'm about to show you how much I love this movie by drawing some parallels. :)
Actually, this is a lot of what's been going on in my mind and heart recently. It's the story of freedom from deception. It's the story of feeling duped about who you are your whole life, than waking up to who you really are - a beloved child of the king who is loved and ached for. It's about redemption and freedom from fear. It's about having your moment when you stare your enemy down and say "No matter what! I will never stop fighting you! For the rest of my life!"
This whole month has had all of these elements to it, honestly. Like Rapunzel, I've lived in fear of the future and unknown, simply because I was told to. Little did I know what awaited on the other side. I'm beginning to realize more deeply who I am, and why my enemy was trying to hold me back. I am beginning to understand the kind of danger I was in when I didn't even realize it. I am coming to grips with the fact that so much of what I have believed and have been told is backwards from the truth.
So I'm choosing to live in courage. I'm choosing to take the hand Christ offers me out of my captivity and trust Him to lead -wherever that may be. I'm determined to find the truth, and never live in such lie-filled places ever again. I'm awakening to exactly who my enemy is, and learning how to fight him, and, like Rapunzel, I won't ever stop fighting. Because I'm learning a little more day by day how to live life fully awake and alive.
Because on the other side of fear awaits love. On the other side of captivity, there's a whole new world filled with opportunities God can bless you with and you never would have dreamed up. Outside of the castle tower, there's a new identity. I want to live in that identity and learn how to do that better every day.
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