The Greatest Showman is one of the best movies ever written.
I just saw it (weeks after everyone else, I know) and I was blown away by how great it truly was.
If you've been living under a rock, you might not know that this musical is all about the underdog proving to the world that they matter. Which is kind of what I'm all about- telling people that they matter.
The movie follows P.T. Barnum, a man who creates a show featuring 'odd' individuals- most notably a bearded lady, Lettie.
One particular scene had me in tears. It's a song called 'This is Me' beautifully sung by the gorgeous Keala Settle (who plays the bearded lady). There are so many reasons I love this song- at the base level it's all about accepting who you are, but underneath all of that, I find it to be quite biblical.
"Run away", they say
"No one'll love you as you are"
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love...
This whole movie is about overcoming what the world thinks of you- and playing to human's fascination with the unusual. However, God isn't just interested in us because we're unusual. He loves us unconditionally and with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). And most importantly- nothing can separate us from God's love.
I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out
You are my refuge and shield;
your word is my source of hope.
Get out of my life, you evil-minded people,
for I intend to obey the commands of my God.
I could have made a very obvious connection with the 'flood' metaphor in this chorus, but I chose not to, because that would be quite... shallow. Instead, when I hear this verse, I relate it to how the enemy can try and cut us down- and often he uses our own words and insecurities against us. I sing along to this verse and almost sing it as a 'stuff-you' to the enemy (and to my own negative self-thoughts). When the sharpest words try and cut me down, I'm going to send back at them a myriad of good things- and what is good? The only truly good thing I know is God (James 1:17), and I intend to obey the commands of my God. His main two commands are to love God, and love others as much as we love ourselves (Mark 12:31). If I want to love others, I need to know how to love myself, which means drowning out those negative self thoughts with what God says about me (and if you ever want to know what God says about you- read Psalm 139).
I am who I'm meant to be, this is me.
I praise God for what he has promised.
I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?
What can mere mortals do to me?
It's becoming increasingly harder to be a Christian without facing judgement. In Australia it isn't illegal to be a Christian, or go to church, or even proclaim in the street that you love God. However, you might get a lot of funny looks because of it, and a few people will most likely yell at you because of it (or take a photo and say something mean about you on Instagram).
Because of this, sometimes Christians can feel ashamed of their beliefs- but God never said following him would be easy (see 1 Peter 2:21 or Luke 6:22-23 or Mark 13:9-11). We can't be brave if we're a little bit afraid- and I know you don't need links to Bible verses about not being afraid (but I'm going to give them to you anyway Matt 14:27, Luke 12:4 and good old Isaiah 41:10). I can't write this enough- bravery comes from overcoming a fear. It's not the absence of fear, but rather the courage to overcome it. And God hasn't given us a spirit of fear, but one of power (2 Timothy 1:7). Being brave is easy when you have God on your side- God who loves you, whose love casts out all fear (1 John 4:18). If his love casts out all fear, then we can be brave because our fear has been taken away by God.
All of this is easy to read and write about, but actually doing it is a whole other thing. Often trusting in God to take away our fear or letting God truly love us can be hard, especially if you're a control freak like me. Many times I've had to learn the good old lesson of 'let go and let God'. It's only when I truly trust him that everything starts to be ok. And I have been (emotionally and mentally) bruised because of this- bruised by my own ego and controlling nature.
Ultimately I know that God has created me to be a Christ follower (John 15:16). And I am not going to be ashamed of that. I am who I'm meant to be. This is Me.
So, who are you?
hint: you are loved by God
I just saw it (weeks after everyone else, I know) and I was blown away by how great it truly was.
If you've been living under a rock, you might not know that this musical is all about the underdog proving to the world that they matter. Which is kind of what I'm all about- telling people that they matter.
The movie follows P.T. Barnum, a man who creates a show featuring 'odd' individuals- most notably a bearded lady, Lettie.
One particular scene had me in tears. It's a song called 'This is Me' beautifully sung by the gorgeous Keala Settle (who plays the bearded lady). There are so many reasons I love this song- at the base level it's all about accepting who you are, but underneath all of that, I find it to be quite biblical.
The world says: no one will love you. God says: I love you.
This is Me lyrics:
I've learned to be ashamed of all my scars"Run away", they say
"No one'll love you as you are"
What the Bible says:
Romans 8:38-39And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love...
This whole movie is about overcoming what the world thinks of you- and playing to human's fascination with the unusual. However, God isn't just interested in us because we're unusual. He loves us unconditionally and with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). And most importantly- nothing can separate us from God's love.
The world says: you suck. God says: I love you.
This is Me lyrics:
When the sharpest words wanna cut me downI'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out
What the Bible says:
Psalm 119:114-115You are my refuge and shield;
your word is my source of hope.
Get out of my life, you evil-minded people,
for I intend to obey the commands of my God.
I could have made a very obvious connection with the 'flood' metaphor in this chorus, but I chose not to, because that would be quite... shallow. Instead, when I hear this verse, I relate it to how the enemy can try and cut us down- and often he uses our own words and insecurities against us. I sing along to this verse and almost sing it as a 'stuff-you' to the enemy (and to my own negative self-thoughts). When the sharpest words try and cut me down, I'm going to send back at them a myriad of good things- and what is good? The only truly good thing I know is God (James 1:17), and I intend to obey the commands of my God. His main two commands are to love God, and love others as much as we love ourselves (Mark 12:31). If I want to love others, I need to know how to love myself, which means drowning out those negative self thoughts with what God says about me (and if you ever want to know what God says about you- read Psalm 139).
The world says: Christianity is dumb. God says: I love you.
This is Me lyrics:
I am brave, I am bruisedI am who I'm meant to be, this is me.
What the Bible says:
Psalm 56:4I praise God for what he has promised.
I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?
What can mere mortals do to me?
It's becoming increasingly harder to be a Christian without facing judgement. In Australia it isn't illegal to be a Christian, or go to church, or even proclaim in the street that you love God. However, you might get a lot of funny looks because of it, and a few people will most likely yell at you because of it (or take a photo and say something mean about you on Instagram).
Because of this, sometimes Christians can feel ashamed of their beliefs- but God never said following him would be easy (see 1 Peter 2:21 or Luke 6:22-23 or Mark 13:9-11). We can't be brave if we're a little bit afraid- and I know you don't need links to Bible verses about not being afraid (but I'm going to give them to you anyway Matt 14:27, Luke 12:4 and good old Isaiah 41:10). I can't write this enough- bravery comes from overcoming a fear. It's not the absence of fear, but rather the courage to overcome it. And God hasn't given us a spirit of fear, but one of power (2 Timothy 1:7). Being brave is easy when you have God on your side- God who loves you, whose love casts out all fear (1 John 4:18). If his love casts out all fear, then we can be brave because our fear has been taken away by God.
All of this is easy to read and write about, but actually doing it is a whole other thing. Often trusting in God to take away our fear or letting God truly love us can be hard, especially if you're a control freak like me. Many times I've had to learn the good old lesson of 'let go and let God'. It's only when I truly trust him that everything starts to be ok. And I have been (emotionally and mentally) bruised because of this- bruised by my own ego and controlling nature.
Ultimately I know that God has created me to be a Christ follower (John 15:16). And I am not going to be ashamed of that. I am who I'm meant to be. This is Me.
So, who are you?
hint: you are loved by God
Comments
Post a Comment