Lessons from the Smurfs

I love when God speaks to me while in a movie theater.

A few weeks ago I went to see the Smurf movie with a friend of mine. Yes, I am 24 and absolutely loved this movie. It was fun, had cheesy cgi animations that cracked me up, two actors that I happen to know because they've been on Glee, recognizable celeb voices and of course the underdog wins in the end! And still there was a deeper lesson I learned.

All the smurfs are named for their personailties: narrator smurf narrates, clumsy smurf is clumsy, vanity smurf carries a mirror, handy smurf fixes stuff, grouchy smurf is always grouchy, and baker smurf is the baker. In the movie the smurfs are asked if they're they way they are because of their names or were they named because of how they are. They answer "yes."

While sitting in the front row watching a big screen of moving pictures my heart broke a little. I wondered if we humanoids are not that much different from the mythical smurf creatures. When a girl is called stupid her whole life does she succeed in school? If a boy is called nerdy does he join the football team? If a girl is called fat does she eat? When a boy is called a jock does he do well in school?

When you are called something your whole life, don't you tend to fit into that sterotypical category? Don't we see ourselves as the ugly, nerd who hides inside all day or the fat, brainiac that reads all day?

I think this goes deeper than the sterotypical cliches of life. When you've been mistreated your whole life do you believe this is all you're meant to be? When no one shows you love do you believe you're unloveable? When you've been abandoned do you believe you'll always be alone? And when you've struggled all your life do you believe it ever gets easier?

Watching this movie and having all of this play in my head I felt God whisper to me, "Beloved, what if I called you beautiful? What if I called you loved? What if I called you warrior? What if I called you joy? What if I called you mighty? What if I called you Mine?"

And I got to thinking, what if everyone knew what God called them? What if everyone knew how precious they were to Him and how in love He is with them? What if you knew God called you wonderful? What if you knew that God called you strong?

Would it even matter that the world called you weak, ugly, dumb, useless, worthless and dirty?
What if everyone knew they belonged to God and not the world?

I imagine the ones who listen to the voice of truth live by that truth. You can see it in their smile, in their fierce overcoming spirit and in the way the can enjoy life despite the storms that come. I also imagine that when a person grabs tight to the truth that God speaks over them, there is nothing that can stop them from living a transforming life that brings the love of Christ to everyone around them.

Thanks to the Smurfs for helping me hear the difference between the voice of the world and the voice of God.