Lately, the Lion King has been a favorite in our house for our almost three-year old daughter who cannot wait in the afternoon when she gets back from school to watch “leeutjie” (the Afrikaans translation of lion). Never paying much attention to the movie as I would sit with her, there was this one scene that got my attention and I knew there was a deeper meaning in it for me.
Yes, even in an animation story, God can speak to us.
It is the scene where Simba has become a young adult lion and was wandering far away from home. He blamed himself for his father’s death and did not think he was worthy to take up the position of king as he was born to be as he no longer saw himself worthy of it. During his wanderings, the baboon, Rafikki got hold of him and got straight to point by reminding Simba that he was lost and have forgotten who he is and who he was called to be: “It is not me who does not know who I am, it is you! You do not know who you are…” Simba was upset and told Rafikki that he is wrong and wanted to know how did he know who Simba was how and Rafikki responded, “Oh but I know, you are Mufasa’s son…” and those words made Simba stop in his track.
Rafikki reminded Simba that he is lost because he has forgotten who he has inside him. Rafikki took Simba to a nearby pond and told him to look in the water and he will see the reflection of his father. At first Simba was quite blasé about it and only saw his own reflection in the water and said as much to Rafikki. But Rafikki did not give up, he persisted and encouraged Simba to have another look, but this time look deeper … and Simba saw. He saw the reflection of his father and could hear his father saying to him: “Simba, you have forgotten me. You do not know who you are because you have forgotten who I am…”
Simba was shocked because how would he forget his father? But it was not about having the memory of his father but about knowing his position and identity as a result of whose son he is. In that moment Simba remembered that he was the son of a king and he has a duty to take up his rightful place as the king of the animal kingdom. From that point, where Simba understood his identity because of who his father was, there was nothing stopping him from stepping into his destiny.
It was like as if I could hear God saying, “My child, life gets busy, life happens and sometimes the things that happen are not even our fault but we hold ourselves accountable for it and even go a little off track. But at the essence of it all, the only reason why we feel lost or overwhelmed is because we have forgotten who our Father is. If we will remember who we are in Him, we will remember who we are meant to be and what our position in life is supposed to be. We will find our purpose and our joy again and we will be surprised at the blessings and promises that await us on the other side of that realisation.”
Jesus reminds us of the same truth in John 14:7 where He reminds the people that if they know Him, they will know His Father. He is one and the same as His Father.
I do not know where you find yourself in life, but if you have been feeling a little lost because of circumstances or maybe you are overwhelmed by the everyday demands, I would like you to join me to stop for just a moment and ask yourself the question? Have you forgotten your Father and who you are and have in Him — Your provider who supplies you in all your needs, Your protector, Your Comforter, the Author of your life that only have good plans for you, Your answer to every question you may have, Your solution to every problem?
Take one minute and put every thought aside and just remember this: you are the beloved child of God, your Father, your Daddy God, who loves you beyond words and who is the outcome for your current circumstances, who will provide for you in every need and who has a destiny for only you to fill. Then let Him fill you with a fresh sense of peace and purpose so that you will be able to get up and start moving again in your purpose from the very next step you take.
Maretha Retief