When I was really little, my favorite movie was Snow White. I'd sing "hi ho, hi ho, off to work Daddy go?" every morning and I'd convince my precious grandpa to watch the movie with me whenever I could (which was always, because I was so spoiled & loved.)
My second favorite movie was The Sound of Music-- except, only the first VHS. The second half had a "scary jail part" where the von Trapp family hides in a cemetery. (Basically the same thing as being put in jail, right?)
And then there was Sleeping Beauty. I don't ever remember really liking the movie, but the story intrigued me as I got older. I never understood how Aurora could be so dumb. Didn't the fairies teach her that sharp pointy things hurt? Didn't she know that pricking her finger would kill her? There can't be anything that makes a spindle that exciting and worth dying for. Sleeping Beauty was dumb. I just didn't get it.
But now. . . Now I get it. Oh man, I get it.
Aurora, you and I are so similar. In your story, I see myself and I see my flesh.
Aurora was captivated by the beauty of the spinning wheel. In all the movie versions I've seen, her eyes sort of glaze over and she follows this creepy green light towards certain death. That light, and ultimately that spinning wheel, held her spell-bound & she couldn't help but move toward it and touch it. She was allured by its beauty, unaware of and unconcerned with the consequences.
Do you see? This is how I am with my sin. "Sin is the enchanting allure of what's going to kill you. I can't help but walk into the water of sin and get slammed against the rocks of judgment and hell and death. I cannot stop myself." Sometimes I feel like I have no choice but to choose sin. It enchants me, captivates me, allures me. I'm unaware of and unconcerned with the consequences of choosing to please my flesh. I have no willpower, no ability to stop myself from sinning. It's like Aurora-- she had no choice but to walk toward that spinning wheel, even though it meant her death. She was entranced by beauty and curiosity, and she suffered the consequences for it.
My favorite part of Sleeping Beauty is when Prince Philip comes and kisses Aurora. Not because it's a perfect, happily-ever-after ending, but because in that moment I see a picture of Christ. I see how in the midst of my stupid choices and pursuit of something other than Him, Jesus still loves me. He still redeems me. Over and over, He rescues me. But Jesus is greater than any Prince Philip could ever be. The gravity of what Christ did to rescue me is infinitely greater than Philip's kiss. That kiss cost nothing, but Jesus' sacrifice cost Him everything. Because instead of letting me walk straight into death, He took my place and walked into death for me. He died so that I wouldn't have to.
There's the gospel.
It's become so beautiful to me, this message of redemption. And more and more, as I truly see the truth of the gospel, the beauty of my sin disappears, and I see it for what it really is: death, destruction, filth. How can I want sin if I realize that I'm choosing between it and Jesus? How can I choose to be obsessed with myself when Jesus gave up everything so that I can be obsessed with Him, so I can be His bride? How can I choose to say harsh and unkind words to or about someone if I see that Christ redeemed them too? How can I be so concerned with the approval of other people if Jesus has already proven that the Creator of the universe loves me? How can I choose my sin, over and over and day after day? Shouldn't I instead run to Jesus and choose to love Him instead?
Yes. Oh man, yes! Step back. Can you imagine what would have happened if Aurora was walking in that trance-like state, following that creepy green light and Philip runs in and says "I love you, come to me and not that spinning wheel that leads to death." The movie might have been a bit of a let down without that epic Philip-fights-the-dragon scene, but it would have been a much happier ending. So much pain could have been avoided.
I can't stop myself from sinning if I'm blinded and convincing myself that it's beautiful. I need a greater beauty to pursue. I need something better than my sin and myself to choose. . . and that beauty, it's Jesus. He's infinitely more beautiful than anything else I can find anywhere. So my daily battle becomes exposing the ugliness of sin and reminding myself of the beauty of Jesus. Choosing to follow Him has been the best decision of my entire life, and it's a decision I want to keep making every single day. Because He is beautiful, and I'm so in love with Him.
Yes. Oh man, yes! Step back. Can you imagine what would have happened if Aurora was walking in that trance-like state, following that creepy green light and Philip runs in and says "I love you, come to me and not that spinning wheel that leads to death." The movie might have been a bit of a let down without that epic Philip-fights-the-dragon scene, but it would have been a much happier ending. So much pain could have been avoided.
I can't stop myself from sinning if I'm blinded and convincing myself that it's beautiful. I need a greater beauty to pursue. I need something better than my sin and myself to choose. . . and that beauty, it's Jesus. He's infinitely more beautiful than anything else I can find anywhere. So my daily battle becomes exposing the ugliness of sin and reminding myself of the beauty of Jesus. Choosing to follow Him has been the best decision of my entire life, and it's a decision I want to keep making every single day. Because He is beautiful, and I'm so in love with Him.
