Encanto

I was watching the film Encanto this week with my 8 year old daughter. If you’ve never seen it maybe scroll on past this blog as it may not make a lot of sense but I will do my best to explain. We were all cosied up with the duvet on the couch as my daughter has been requesting to sleep down stairs for a long time and last night was the night. So we got our supper, put a film on and settled down to watch.

Throughout this film allegory kept popping into my head and with each one I thought that it would make a good blog so here it is.

Each person in the Madrigal family has a gift. Something that has happened as each child reached a certain age. I’m going to focus in particular on the characters, Abuela, Bruno, Isabela, Luisa and Mirabel.

Abuela – The matriarch of the family, the one to first receive the miracle – although that did not mean she personally received a gift. When Mirabel does not receive a gift at her ceremony Abuela becomes cold towards her, she views Mirabel differently. It comes across as though Abuela values the gift more than the person. When the miracle starts losing it’s power and people’s gifts become weak, Abuela starts to panic. She has been holding onto something so tight out of fear of losing it. The whole village rely on the Madrigal family and their gifts and in my opinion Abuela finds her value and identity in being able to provide for the village in this way. Abuela fears rejection and believes this would happen if the family lost their gifts. It’s like she’s trying to earn people’s love by what she can do for them and when that starts to slip away, she leans into fear.

It is necessary in life to lose what you’re holding so tight onto, to remember who you are and where your identity lies. To let go of control is to be able to rest in the one who is in control. It is imperative for those of us who are followers of Jesus that he comes first before everything else. When we make anything other than Jesus an idol we can be sure that we will struggle. Disaster may fall upon us. This is not to cause fear, this is to remind us that if we put Jesus first we will breakthrough. God will never leave us nor forsake us. Fear is of the enemy and we have the authority in Jesus to rebuke fear and remain in God’s peace. This doesn’t mean that circumstances change, or that we don’t have to walk through difficult times. It does mean that we don’t walk through them alone. It means that we are safe with Him.

Bruno – Abuela’s only son. Bruno has the gift of prophecy. Except the people are not happy with the prophecies they are given and Bruno becomes estranged from the family. He lives within the walls of Casita. Bruno carries a lot of shame and blame as though he is personally responsible for the visions he sees. Abuela partly blames him for the family falling apart and hasn’t spoken to him in years since he went into hiding. Restoration doesn’t come for Bruno until Mirabel helps to bring him out into the light.

Whatever we are carrying within us cannot be healed whilst we continue to hide away. The enemy will use it to pull you deeper into shame. That which you bring into the light can be healed. The enemy wants to keep you silent, because when you begin to share and bring your story into the light, not only do you find healing for yourself, but you also light the way for others to find their healing to. Your testimony will help others know they are not alone on the paths they walk and when they witness your breakthrough they are able to believe for a breakthrough for themselves.

Restoration and breakthrough came for the Madrigal family when everything was brought out into the light, when everyone was able to be honest with each other. Then true healing was able to happen.

Isabela is Mirabel’s older sister. Her gift is that she is perfect and is able to create beautiful flowers. Isabela feels under intense pressure to never make a mistake. She feels decisions about her future are not her own as she wants to make everyone happy at her own expense.

Luisa is also an older sister of Mirabel. Her gift is extra strength. She is able to pick up donkeys and move buildings without so much as breaking a sweat. Her strength is where she finds her identity. As her strength slowly starts slipping away, she begins to feel useless. Luisa has no idea who she is without her gift.

These sisters have placed their identity in their gift. It’s what the family values. It’s what their village values. It’s what they are praised for. What happens when Luisa is no longer able to move the donkeys, or Isabela makes a mistake or a decision that Abuela does not agree with.

We see the Madrigal family slowly start to fall apart as Casita begins to lose it’s power. Luisa’s strength begins to fade and everyone becomes disheartened, feeling like failures, no longer able to grasp their purpose in life without everything they’ve ever known.

Then we come to Mirabel. The only Grandchild that was not given a gift at their coming of age ceremony. Mirabel has dealt with years upon years of never feeling good enough for Abuela. Feelings of not belonging to the family because part of what makes you a Madrigal is having a gift and she does not have one. Yet when everything starts to fall apart and things are failing – even though Abuela blames Mirabel – she’s the only one who is able to bring the family back together. Mirabel is the only one who knows who she is without a gift. Sure she has her own struggles but she was able to discover who she was without a gift, her focus was on something else. Mirabels focus was on saving the miracle, but not from a place of fear. From a place of love. Mirabel’s time came and she did have a gift. To see what no-one else could see, to do what no-one else could do, to call out that which was holding back the family, bring things out into the light and help everyone rebuild, with a more solid foundation than before.

Often times in life we will look to our own achievements to find purpose or confidence in who we are. The things of this world that can disappear as quickly as we found them. When you place your identity in Jesus you will find life and things that will never change. If you’re identity is in Jesus then you have a solid foundation that cannot be shaken by the circumstances you find yourself in. You will have wisdom from the Holy Spirit and all the things that can never fade away.

What is your identity based on today. Are you overly worried about how other people view you. Are you concerned that you won’t be able to be there for people in the way you would like to be. When your identity is in Jesus and who you are is based on who he is you have everything you need. Shame will fall away, you won’t berate yourself for mistakes because you will take them to Jesus, receive forgiveness and move on. You will have no need to fear because you will experience perfect love that casts out all fear.

Base your identity on something that is steadfast, eternal and impossible to lose. And remember, sometimes the very things we hold on tight to are the very things God is asking us to let go of. If you have your hand tightly closed around something, how is God able to place all the blessings he has for you in a closed hand. You have to open your hands, let go of control and receive everything that God has for you today.