The Gospel According to Disney (Part 2)

One of the many things that's great about Disney is the fact that the good guy always wins. There have been many times that I've been watching a Disney movie with my children and they have become worried for the well-being of the main character. I always tell them not to worry, even if I've never seen the movie. "Remember," I say, "this is Disney. Everything is going to turn out okay." The glass slipper always fits Cinderella, Prince Charming never fails to shows up in the end, and every time Peter Pan defeats Captain Hook.

That's not to say that everything is always easy. For instance, in Disney stories there is often tragedy to deal with. To the dismay of moms everywhere, this most commonly seems to come in the fact that the main character's mother dies or is already dead (Bambi, Cinderella, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo...), but it also comes in many other forms ranging from drudgery to (temporary) death.

Likewise, in real life, we face various difficulties and trials. Life is not always easy. Despite what purveyors of a prosperity gospel would tell you, the Bible never promises health and wealth to Christians. It does however promise difficulty:

• "Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you." (John 15:20)
  
• "Then Jesus told his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'" (Matthew 16:24)
  
• "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness." (James 1:2-3)

Throughout it all though, we do have this comfort:

"And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me...and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18,20)

That's the beauty of the Gospel. We do nothing to deserve it, but we are essentially on Jesus' team. We may be the benchwarmer who doesn't even get into the game, but when our star performer wins the championship, we too become champions. And just like with Disney, in the end, the Good Guy does indeed win!

Other Posts in This Series:
Part 1
Part 3
Part 4