Queen Elsa’s Anxiety
(Authored by Entourage Ministries Board Member Katie Garrett and adapted from her original post at mykate.blog. Contributive copy by Paige Scott.)
It only seems fitting with colder temperatures sending us indoors, that my spiritual eyes have been opened via a Disney singing princess, yet again. Would you believe I have watched the movie Frozen approximately 1,000 times? When you have three kids under 5 and watch three more under 5, animated classics become your best friend.
But today I saw myself in Elsa—and it wasn’t because we both shoot magical ice from our hands (although we do have that in common); and it wasn’t because our hair looks the same (see: blog post where I accidentally shaved my head); I saw the most relatable Disney character yet to hit the screen—a woman “frozen” with fear and anxiety.
I have been that woman and Elsa paints an incredible picture of life with fear and anxiety.
There I was, in my chair, trying vainly to tune out “Let it Go” and meditate on the Word; but something shifted from Moses to Olaf and I found myself staring at the screen like I had never seen the movie in my life.
The first few times I watched this movie, I thought the following about the plot:
Thought 1- Classic Disney - circumstances kill the parents in a tragic accident (seriously it happens almost every movie).
Thought 2- Plot twist- The main character didn’t need a prince to save her in the end. (Thumbs up Disney)
But this time, with my eyes fresh from the Word and fresh from processing elements of my own story of redeemed fear and anxiety, I saw the Frozen plot differently.
I finally realized, the plot was speaking to something so much bigger than romance or common fairy-tale story lines but rather the paralysis of anxiety. It’s really no wonder this movie is still so popular.Elsa repeats over and over to herself, “conceal, don’t feel, don’t let it show.”
How many of us are doing this?
Fear, like ice, keeps us paralyzed and frozen in place. Fear essentially dominates all other feelings so much that it begins to shape the rest of them. Consider Elsa—she loved Ana, so she isolated herself from her in fear. She loved her parents, so she respected their authority when they made a horrible decision to isolate her. And somehow feelings of both love and respect were lost to fear.
“Fear takes you captive as prisoner, often without presenting that at some point it was a choice made. Maybe a choice first by someone else but eventually a choice accepted by you.”
Elsa thought when she was alone that she was finally free. Lie.
What Elsa believed was grave, dangerous and false. I refuse to accept that lie any longer for myself, for my daughter, for you—my blog friends.
So, I am going to have to speak a little southern-Okie-bible-truth right into it.
Elsa’s parents ask a thought-provoking question about her: “born with special powers or cursed?”
Their uncertainty about her identity, influenced her own perception of who she was and uncertainty became the driving factor behind her fear and anxiety.
Let that sink in.
Because what they were asking reflects what so many of us ask in our hearts today— Who am I? Am I a burden? Am I blessing? Is there hope for me?
And the TRUE answer to those questions was and is MY daily breakthrough, because the answer is Jesus.
I am not cursed. Jesus redeemed me from the curse (Galatians 3:13);
I am not a burden. I am adopted by the King of Kings (Ephesians 1:5) and the King of
Kings carries all of my burdens—of which I am not one to Him (Matthew 11:25);
Because of Jesus, I have hope as an anchor for my soul that is
firm and more secure than all the insecurity that would otherwise take me prisoner (Hebrews 6:19).
Disney got it right, almost—
“True Love” doesn’t just thaw a heart, it gives a brand one. If your heart is still in recovery mode from the damages of this world—give it to the one who binds up the broken ones. He’s an expert creator.
To my sisters in the prison of anxiety—True Love came to set the captives free and proclaim release for the prisoners (Isaiah 61).
YOU are a beautiful creation if you are in Christ; re-BORN with a magnificent empowerment from the Holy Spirit to change the world around you. We have crazy and cool gifts of service and Spirit and the greatest of them all really is “ true love.” (See 1 Corinthians 12,13,14 for more on that)
You are the fire this icy world needs BECAUSE you carry the true love of Christ deep within you; that’s why the mantra of the enemy to you will always be, “conceal, don’t feel, don’t let it show.”
Love is kindness, patience and all that other good stuff. Love is standing in an ice storm with the people around searching for refuge and realizing that God called us the “salt of the earth” and “light of the world” for a reason (Matthew 5).
As salt and light we were made to navigate the ice of fear and anxiety, not to become paralyzed by them. We do this through receiving the fullness of his love and grace and freely sharing that with others.
Elsa figured out Disney’s truth about this and experienced freedom. I figured out the Kingdom truth about this and experienced freedom. I am still on my own journey of healing but as for my identity: I am not frozen... I am free, yes free indeed.
Join Elsa and me…Let it Go and let True Love takeover.