Don’t get lost in the wreckage.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am an avid Disney fan. I have great appreciation for their beautiful story lines and animation. I am also one to find a lesson to be learned in just about everything.
I’m talking lessons in the self checkout mishaps at Walmart to papers being tossed by the wind on the freeway to yes – Disney movies. I love to take what we see in the natural and look for little spiritual nuggets. Now one of Disney’s releases, 2016’s Moana is full of them; just ask me, I have a list. However we will only be discussing one of them today. In saying that, there will be some spoilers so if you have yet to watch the movie and don’t want me to soil any of it for you- go watch it first!
Continuing on, the movie is about a young girl named Moana who feels like the water has been beckoning her off her island since she was a child. The issue is that she and her people are forbidden to go beyond the reef to ensure they stay safe. Now present day, because of the actions of one known as “Maui” the island they live on begins to deteriorate and she has to set sail to find him. All she has is this burning in her chest that is assuring her that the ocean has indeed chosen her. She doesn’t know how to sail, she knows very little about the water; All she has is the call and the water as a guide.
Not long after setting sail, the waters become very rough and her boat over turns. She finds herself asking the water for some help just to notice a large, dark storm coming her way. When she comes to, she is shipwrecked on an island, lost and seemingly losing time. She begins yelling at the sea-
“Are you kidding me!” “I asked you for your help and you wreck my boat!”
Not but a few seconds later and she begins to see signs that Maui just might be here. Here on the island she is shipwrecked on. I’ll spare you all the details but basically Maui was on that island and that is how she met him. It was this pivotal scene that put them on course for the rest of the movie and eventually led her to her destiny!
Now that we have knowledge of all that, we can take better look at the spiritual side of things. You see, so often we are Moana. She was shipwrecked! On an island that was seemingly deserted. So many times when we are pursuing the call or chasing after that promise God has placed in our hearts we encounter trouble. Sometimes that trouble looks like it is a huge bump in the road, a setback. However we can only see a small portion of the big picture God sees.
She asked the water for help. Later we find out that she must have had a preconceived idea of what this “help” would look like because she went ballistic when she found herself stranded on that island. I’m not Moana but I have to say if I was in her position I would have most likely done the same thing. I would’ve thought the sea would turn my boat right side up or put the raging storm to a halt; not crash my only means of transportation on a desolate island!
Now Psalm 54:4 reminds us that God is our help. We know that God is faithful and has all our best interest in mind. [see Romans 8:28] However sometimes just like Moana, we have a preconceived idea of what that help will look like. We may expect God to just turn things around instantly or to just remove the storm from our lives. Although one of the most important concepts to grab a hold of in the midst of a long fiery trial is that sometimes the storm is crucial, you have to have your preconceived notions wrecked in order for God to display the sweet way he works in the wreckage. Also if you closely observe this scene in the film, you will notice that the storm is above her head coming her way before she even finishes asking the sea for help.
God sees you, He has called you; He seen the storm in your life before you even got in the boat. It may just be that tragedy, the storm in your life, that is bringing you to the exact time and place you need to be. Perhaps, you feel like your life has been shipwrecked. You had an idea of where you were going, who you would be, when you would get there and now you find yourself seemingly stranded. Well my friend, do not lose hope. You may not see it yet but you are definitely not stranded. Your island isn’t deserted and your shipwreck wasn’t by accident, actually the complete opposite.
“one of the most important concepts to grab a hold of in the midst of a long fiery trial is that sometimes the storm is crucial, you have to have your preconceived notions wrecked in order for God to display the sweet way he works in the wreckage.”
I know it is hard to believe at times, but don’t sway in your belief in the promises god has given you. It took this wreck to get you to this island and it’s on this unfamiliar land that you will stumble into your destiny. Hold tight to your help and trust Him, because you are shipwrecked on the island of your promise.