Now that I am older I know that not all the policies, politics, products and et. ceteras that come from Disney are always wonderful, but still I love Disney. I watch the movies, I go to the parks, I'd love to go on a Disney cruise (hint, hint to my husband), I buy the merchandise and I'll admit it, I'm kind of good at Disney trivia games, too!
I tell you of my Disneyfication as a disclaimer for why I am going to tell you about a line in a song that I DID NOT like in Disney's newest movie, Frozen. Okay, I LOVED FROZEN, I saw it twice and loved the whole thing (except that song line) and I would gladly watch it again. I bought the soundtrack and we played it all Christmas season. I pre-bought the DVD for my kids and I will let them watch it on the car ride to Disneyland this year where we will greet Elsa, Anna and Olaf and take photos (that just happens to be a coincidence that we're going there). So, I'm not a Frozen hater, I just want to start a little conversation about how people can and do change.
There is a scene in Frozen where Christoff takes Anna to see his adoptive troll family for help. The trolls want them to get married and sing a funny song all about how everyone is a little bit of a "fixer upper".
The song changes in the middle in a way that seems almost contradictory to the "everyone's a fixer upper" message when a female troll sings, "we're not saying you can change him ... because people don't really change". Well, when I first watched the movie that line hit me like lightening because people most certainly DO change. Change can be good and change can be bad but it is most definitely a fact of living on this earth. People change because of circumstances, maturity, new perspective, a change of mind or heart, hard work and determination, the actions of others, time and most importantly because of repentance.
In November 2003 Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught us:
The gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to change. “Repent” is its most frequent message, and repenting means giving up all of our practices—personal, family, ethnic, and national—that are contrary to the commandments of God. The purpose of the gospel is to transform common creatures into celestial citizens, and that requires change.
John the Baptist preached repentance. His listeners came from different groups, and he declared the changes each must make to “bring forth … fruits worthy of repentance” (Luke 3:8). Publicans, soldiers, and ordinary people—each had traditions that had to yield to the process of repentance.
I know I have changed from who I have been. I know people in my life that have fundementally changed who they were. I'm sure we can all look at ourselves and those that we know and love and see the changes.I thought of a scene from one of my favorite authors, C.S. Lewis', and his book "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" where a very selfish, greedy, whiney, spoiled boy name Eustice gets turned into a dragon because of his greed. This is an exerpt from the book in which Aslan the Lion (who represents Jesus) helps Eustice to remove his dragon skin, helps him to change.
"The water was as clear as anything and I thought if I could get in there and bathe it would ease the pain in my leg, but the lion told me I must undress first. Mind you, I dont know if he said any words out loud or not.
I was just going to say that I couldn't undress because I hadn't any clothes on when I suddenly thought that dragons are snaky sort of things and snakes can cast their skins. Oh, of course, thought I, that's what the lion means. So I started scratching myself and my scales began coming off all over the place. And then I scratched a little deeper and, instead of just scales coming off here and there, my whole skin started peeling off beautifully, like it does after an illness, or as if I was a banana. In a minute or two I just stepped out of it. I could see it lying there beside me, looking rather nasty. It was a most lovely feeling. So I started to go down into the well for my bathe.
But just as I was going to put my feet into the water I looked down and saw that they were all hard and rough and wrinkled and scaly just as they had been before. Oh, that's all right, said I, it only means I had another smaller suit on underneath the first one, and I'll have to get out of it too. So I scratched and tore again and this underskin peeled off beautifully and out I stepped and left it lying beside the other one and went down to the well for my bathe.
Well, exactly the same thing happened again. And I thought to myself, oh dear, how ever many skins have I got to take off? For I was longing to bathe my leg. So I scratched away for the third time and got off a third skin, just like the two others, and stepped out of it. But as soon as I looked at myself in the water I knew it had been no good.
The the lion said - but I don't know if it spoke - 'You will have to let me undress you.' I was afraid of his claws, I can tell you, but I was pretty nearly desperate now. So I just lay flat down on my back to let him do it.
The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I've ever felt. The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off. You know - if you've ever picked the scab off a sore place,iIt hurts like billy-oh but it is such fun to see it coming away.
Well, he peeled the beastly stuff right off - just as I thought I'd done it myself the other three times, only they hadn't hurt - and there it was lying on the grass: only ever so much thicker, and darker, and more knobbly-looking than the others had been. And there was I as smooth and soft as a peeled switch and smaller than I had been. Then he caught hold of me - I didn't like that much for I was very tender underneath now that I'd no skin on - and threw me into the water. It smarted like anything but only for a moment. After that it became perfectly delicious and as soon as I started swimming and splashing I found that all the pain had gone from my arm. And then I saw why. I'd turned into a boy again. You'd think me simply phoney if I told you how I felt about my own arms. I know they've no muscle and are pretty mouldy compared with Caspian's, but I was so glad to see them.
After a bit the lion took me out and dressed me - (with his paws?) - Well, I don't exactly remember that bit. But he did somehow or other: in new clothes - the same I've got on now, as a matter of fact. and then suddenly I was back here. Which is what makes me think it must have been a dream."
Christ helps us tear off the "dragon skin" and His healing may hurt deeper and "hurt worse than anything I've ever felt" as Eustice described but His healing leaves us clean, feeling tender and smaller than we were and is perfectly delicious and we are clothed in Him. His gift of repentence removes the entire dragon skin from us.
It seems to be a very popular lie right now that people can't change. The world says we are who we are. I do not believe this lie. You get to decide who you are! You get to decide what choices you make and each moment of every day is your chance to change, to become better. Don't accept the lie of "people don't really change".
Changing through repentance is also an opportunity to show our love for our Heavenly Father and our gratitude for His Son's atoning sacrafice in our behalf. From that same November message Elder Oaks gave us this:
Jesus commanded us to love one another, and we show that love by the way we serve one another. We are also commanded to love God, and we show that love by continually repenting and by keeping His commandments (see John 14:15). And repentance means more than giving up our sins. In its broadest meaning it requires change, giving up all of our traditions that are contrary to the commandments of God. As we become full participants in the culture of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we become “fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Eph. 2:19).
I testify that this is what our Lord and Savior would have us do so that we may become what His gospel intends us to be.
While I love Disney and I love the movie Frozen I do not believe those trolls! I've changed and I am still changing. I will be changing my entire life in an effort to be like my Elder Brother. I want His image in my countenance, I want to be like Him. I will change so that when He comes again He will know me, because I will be like Him.