Disney has done it again with another hit movie called “Frozen”. It’s about two sisters, one who has magical powers to create snow and ice (Elsa), and the other who is unaware of her sister’s secret (Anna). Out of fear of hurting her sister with her powers, Elsa secludes herself behind her closed bedroom door most of her life while neglecting the relationship with Anna. She has been taught to “conceal, don’t feel”….”be the good girl you know you have to be”…”don’t let them in, don’t let them see”. In the end of the movie, Elsa realizes the power of LOVE is greater than the power of FEAR and goodness wins in the end:)
The hit song “Let it Go” is taking off with young girls. My 4 year old Avery watches this clip below every day. I know the words and the motions. If you have no clue about this movie or this special song, please watch this 3 minute Disney masterpiece.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moSFlvxnbgk]
There’s something more behind the cool effects, pretty turquoise gown, and amazing snow castle. There’s truth. Truth to be told. Truth for us GROWN UP WOMEN to hear and get in our souls.
Elsa sings:
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 know
Let it go, let it go
Can’t hold it back anymore
Let it go, let it go
Turn away and slam the door
I don’t care
What they’re going to say
Let the storm rage on,
The cold never bothered me anyway
She’s letting go of the past. She’s letting go of her fears. She’s letting go of people’s opinions.
What is God telling you to let go of in your life?
CONTROL? Let go of control to run everything in your life. Let go of your efforts to control people. You can’t do it. You AREN’T in control. God is. Let HIM do his job. Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
THE RIGHT TO BE ‘RIGHT’? Let go of getting in that last word. Let go of the need to win the argument every time. Hand over your rights to be the one who is “right”. Proverbs 21:9 “Better to live on a corner of a roof than to share a home with a quarreling wife.”
THE IMAGE? Let go of this image you are trying to portray to the world. Elsa sings “Don’t let them in, don’t let them see. Be the good girl you always have to be.” Just stop it. Seriously. We all have junk. It’s really exhausting constantly trying to keep a smile on when you really need to open up and share your heart. People like real people. God uses real people. Be real. Galatians 1:10 “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
THE PAST? Let go of your past. Your past regrets. The devil wants you to replay those bad choices over and over in your head. He wants you to believe you’ll never move on. It’s a lie. YOU WILL IN CHRIST. Pray and ask God to help you focus on him, not your past. Philippians 3:13-14 “No dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing. Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
PAIN, SHAME, AND GUILT? Let go of your pain, shame, and guilt. God will take it from you and replace it with love, joy, and peace. Jesus didn’t die for your sins so you could continue to live in guilt your entire life concerning them. He came to give you LIFE, to the fullest. John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
UNFORGIVENESS? Let go of unforgiveness. It harbors bitterness and eats away at you. Relationships cannot be rebuilt without forgiveness. Do it today. Ask for God’s help. Colossians 3:13 “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
STRIVING TO ARRIVE? Let go of never feeling like you are where you need to be. You may never “arrive” to where you envisioned. There will always be more work to do, more things to take care of, and more to improve. Find contentment in the journey. Life is THERE…in the process. It’s not up ahead, it’s where you are RIGHT NOW. Live in the moment and be content with your place in life NOW. Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
UNDERSTANDING? Let go of the need to understand the “Why?”. God doesn’t promise to explain why he does what he does. He promises to give you peace regardless if understanding ever comes. Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus”.
What’s that cheesy saying Christians like? Let go and Let God?
Yes. LET IT GO. LET GOD HANDLE IT.
This is filled with so much TRUTH! When I heard the song in theaters it resonated with me. Thanks for the post!
I really enjoy the faith growth message they are so inspiring and powerful word my GOD bless your club
Reblogged this on Emily's Colorful World.
Great read! You’re such an inspiration and I love the photos!
I love this song! It’s one of those melodies that just sticks with you, and I find myself humming it for hours after I hear it. Your devotional was so encouraging, and it certainly shared so much truth. Three thoughts that I gleaned from the song would include…
1) Stand Firm – “Here I stand, and here I’ll stay”. The world offers many substitutions for salvation through Jesus Christ, but I know where I stand, and my faith is steadfast and secure, and I will not be moved from my firm foundation.
2) Forgive Yourself – “The past is in the past”. When we ask forgiveness for our sins, the Bible says He forgets them. We are many times our own worst critics and can’t forgive ourselves for bad choices, and we can live in defeat over things He doesn’t even remember. We are always triumphant…He has called us to live in victory!
3) People Pressure – “I don’t care what they’re going to say…the cold never bothered me anyway”. Don’t let the “cold shoulder” of the world and society pressure you. As a child of God, Biblical principles will many times be in direct conflict with what the social media, movies, and culture is telling us. We are often required to put on a thick skin and stand in love against society’s peer pressure and maybe even those in our own circles. Surround yourself with people who share your love for the Lord, and gain strength from His Word. We are never alone!!
This was sent to me because my daughter loves this movie and is always singing this song. I agree with the message but once again it got ruined by someone always trying to tie in religion to a story. Women taking control and having self respect has nothing to do with god.
Hey JP. Thank you for taking the time to read and leave a comment. My daughter is always singing this song, too. 🙂 There are so many inspirational messages the song provides. For me, I thought I could use it as encouragement to others to move on from things holding them down in life, like Elsa did. This blog is going to talk about Christ , and his love, not religion…in every post. I truly hope you’ll revisit it again. Being a mom of a young daughter like you, we have a lot in common and I will write about the unique and funny things my little girl does. Again, I hope you will stop by again and see that what I will write about is not religion…but Gods love:)
I get what you’re saying, but you seem to be overlooking the fact that Elsa, in recklessly “letting go” endangered lots and lots of people – including people she loved. It was done selfishly and with no thought of the potential consequences to others – which were real and harsh. The true heroine of the story wasn’t Elsa, but Anna, who courageously set aside her own interests and made the ultimate sacrifice out of love. Elsa was the lost sheep who went astray – Anna was the one who truly reflected the love of Christ in word and deed, seeking to bring her back from the abyss of the loneliness of her self-inflicted exile.
Yes! Great point DJ. I may have to write another post on what we can learn from Anna. So many great lessons in that movie:) Thanks for sharing.
I think part of why Elsa had to let go was because she was asked to hold in her secret for too long. She didn’t get a chance to see the grace and love her sister would extend. Sure she could have handled things better but her own parents were the ones that asked her to hide what she was.
The song is two-edged. It also says, “No right or wrong for me anymore” (paraphrased) True FREEDOM does not come from no rules but from submitting to WHO God made us to be and HOW God wants us to live. There is that ONE dangerous thought in there – that freedom comes from NO RULES. True freedom comes from submitting to God’s rules as He made us and He knows how we are to live and glorify Him the best.
To Comment on Elsa recklessly “letting go” and endangering lots of people – her rather foolishly decided to shut her up behind closed doors and closed gates. He did not prepare her for living in a world of people who would misinterpret her gift. He did not teach her how to accept and use her gift. Her father was foolish in his response and her father set her up for what followed. He should’ve prepared the people for her and prepared her for the people. Her father hurt Elsa and Anna very deeply by his decision and set the stage for Elsa to hurt others when Elsa could not live by the ‘rules’ Dad had created for her. He placed a burden on her back she could not bear and did not lift a finger to help her bear it.
I would have to agree with you on those points. My sister and I were talking about it, and how we loved the song all except for that line. So….we changed it. Whenever we sing let it go, instead of saying “no right no wrong no rules for me” we sing “my fears no longer hold on to me”. Honestly once we changed it I was able to think about it in a Christian view. I can let go of my fears in Him, and I can let go of the pain and hurt inside of me. True I hated the parent’s decision in the movie. It was horrible to set their children up for failure like that….at the same time they did they best they could with what they knew. For those reasons I don’t really want little kids who won’t differentiate between good and bad in the movie to watch it, but I thoroughly enjoy it with my siblings (the youngest of which is nine) and we have had some really good discussions about the values an failings of the movie. (and of course singing our let it go parody at the top of our lungs. 🙂
I took my son (8) and my daughter (6) to see Frozen and they BOTH loved it. It’s honestly the best Disney movie ever. That song is so amazingly powerful. My daughter and I were so moved during that particular scene. We were both in tears. It’s nice to see such empowering films.
Thank you for trying to redeem this song! I do think there are some good themes in the song and the movie, but my 5 year old (who sings this ALL the time), even pointed out to me the line where she sings “no right, no wrong, no rules for me! Now I’m free!”, and said to me “Mommy, that’s not right, because there is right and wrong!”. Which, of course led to a teaching moment! I just still ride the fence on this movie a little bit. Some good stuff, some questionable. :/
Allison..I totally agree. I definitely don’t believe the entire song has a Godly message…but I felt that it was a diving board that could spring me into a different message that I felt God was speaking to me about “letting go.” By no means do I think this song or movie is solid truth…I mean it’s Disney…but God can use lines or small messages tucked inside to point people back to him:)
nice one ! but im kinda’ confused with the part “no right no wrong no rules for me im free” im a student by the way in tacloban city
Hey Bejoe,
Did you notice I didn’t even touch on that? I really wanted to take the positive points from the song to apply it. The song in its entirety isn’t a “Christian” message simply because of that one line right there. I don’t agree with that, and neither does scripture. There are rights and wrongs, and there are rules that God lays out in order to protect us. Just like a parent makes rules for a child to protect them from danger, God does the same thing. He wants to bless us and give us life to the fullest, but we can’t choose to live freely and expect no consequences from our sin. You have to take that part with a grain of salt and realize it’s Disney…they embellish stories and don’t write based on God’s word. I just thought there was truth in the song and used it as a way to bring people to Christ:)
Paige, thank you for making a move-I appreciate that! There is so much that provides teaching moments in this film. My 2 yr old granddaughter knows the entire movie also…so I realized that all the time God was giving me with her (she wants to see Frozen 5 times a day on the weekends with me) were my opportunities to teach her about God’s Kingdom and how it works! Arendale is a kingdom country in this film that interacts with those from other kingdoms. The bible is primarily a book about A KING, HIS KINGDOM & HIS SUBJECTS. At every turn in this movie, I am able to preach Christ to Layna…and she is listening! The enemy might have an agenda for Frozen, but what the enemy meant for bad, God is using as a resorce to teach and train His people. I pray that The Father rears up more Paige Ewings to help believers identify Absolute Truth no matter where, and minister Truth & Encouragement to unbelievers…that indeed they would come to Christ! God bless you!