I watched Brave last night with the family and while I was emotional with some of the relationship themes in the movie, I was most touched by this quote:
Fate be changed, look inside. Mend the bond torn by pride.
Now, I will admit I am not big on talking fate. Some synonyms for fate are: destiny – lot – doom – fortune – kismet – portion. I have known too many people who lived under the guise that “I am the master of my own fate” and “controller of my destiny.” And, honestly, I probably live too many years this way. I now know that I know that I know that The LORD is the master of my fate and controls my destiny and I am ever so grateful.
But, back to the quote. Fate be changed. As humans, our fate, according to the Gospel is death. Romans 3:23 CEV says, “All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.” And, Romans 6:23 VOICE says, “The payoff for a life of sin is death.” So if we have all sinned and the payoff for sin is death, then our fate is death.
So, how do we change our fate?
Thank goodness, God had a plan! The plan was to…look inside, mend the bond torn by pride.
Our separation from Abba can all be traced back to pride. Pride at its core is idolatry…saying I am first and no one compares, not even God. And how do we begin to eradicate that pride? Look in the mirror, look inside, become transparent. Once we become real with ourselves and with God, the mending can begin.
In the story of Brave, the heroine, Merida, makes the mistake of trying to change her fate by changing someone else. She thinks that if her mom would just change, then her life would be so much better. I think we can all relate. It is a part of denial…the old bait and switch. If I just concentrate on what is wrong with her and what she needs to change to make my life better, then everything will be alright.
If only we, and Merida, would look inside, right? But, much like the story, sometimes (most times for some like me) it takes other circumstances, i.e. pain, to make us realize the problem was within us the whole time. One of the most freeing parts of recovery is realizing that I am not God, voluntarily submitting to the changes God wants to make in my life and yielding myself to being used to bring the Good News of Jesus, hope and healing to others.
The mending is the best part! In the movie, Merida must mend the family tapestry she ruined by stitching it with a needle and thread. But for us, the story is different! God sent Jesus as our sacrifice. He mended that torn bond for me, for you, for everyone…once for all. We don’t have to DO anything except to accept a free gift of grace…grace that is greater than all our sin!
One last thought from the movie…
Merida says, “I want my freedom!” Her mother, Queen Elinor, wittingly replies, “But are you willing to pay the price your freedom will cost?”
I am so thankful that I have a Savior who mended the bond my pride ripped between me and a Holy God and bought my freedom with His blood. He WAS willing to pay my price. So, the question today is do you have a Savior who bought your freedom from sin? If not, just ask!
ThankfullyHisGirl 