Disney

I love Disney movies.  Some of my favorite films are, in fact, Disney movies.  Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and Aladdin, to name a few, each occupy a high place in my list of favorite movies.  A central reason for this has to do with the masterful music comprising many of these films, which makes a lot of sense, especially if you've read any of my other posts on this relatively brief blog.  In fact, I'll post a video of one of my favorites for your enjoyment:


"Under the Sea" from the Little Mermaid


But despite Disney's wonderful music, family-friendliness, and encouraging messages, I have one major problem with it:  Disney has propagated the modern cultural understanding that romantic love is the end-all and be-all of human existence.


What do I mean by this?  It's probably not a surprise to you that the American culture tends to venerate romantic love as the Mecca of human life.  The ideal life is one in which a person is born, grows, gets educated, works, falls in love, and lives happily ever after.  And key to living happily ever after is the part where he or she falls in love.


Think about it.  Why do dating services abound?  Why do (typically married) people tend to regard singles over the age of 30 as though something is wrong with them?  Why do so many films and TV shows center around the idea of consummated romantic love as the most important thing that can happen in a person's life?


To be fair, I'm not bashing the idea of marriage, or even dating, or anything like that.  I definitely believe that covenental marriage between a man and a woman is part of God's design for human life in a broad sense.  But I don't think that necessitates the idea that the modern concept of romantic love is correct.  Just because Eve was created by taking something out of Adam doesn't mean that men are missing out on something without being united in love with a woman; or vice versa.


Chrsitian theology is clear that all humans are unequivocally sinful, even after they become Christians.  Their sin causes them to deserve eternal separation from God in an actual, physical place called hell.  We require the saving grace of God manifested in the person of Jesus Christ who lived, suffered, died, and rose from the grave in order to fix our sin problem so we can live eternally with God.  But despite this, we Christians still sin; we're by no means better than anyone else simply because we believe in Christ.


And so what kind of sense does it make that one sinful, wretched person can make complete the life of another sinful, wretched person?  Both are in desperate need for God to fulfill and satisfy them, and in fact, God is the only one who can do that.  For me to think that a mere human can somehow complete, fix, heal, fulfill, or satisfy me is not only ridiculous... it's idolatry.  It's replacing a role that only God can fill with something that is not God, and trusting in that rather than in God.


Again, I'm not saying that marriage is bad, or that having a romantic relationship is bad.  In fact, I strongly believe God uses human relationships, and intimate relationships such as marriage in particular, to change, sanctify, and make people more like Christ.  What I'm saying is that too often, I buy into the lie that I need a woman in my life and that somehow, that will make everything better.  And whenever I think that, I'm admitting that God is not enough for me.


Ouch.


So have you bought into our culture's Disney understanding of love?  I think many of us have, perhaps even unwittingly.  I know that I didn't really begin to think about these things until relatively recently.  I hope that if you have, you begin to consider that while good, a romantic relationship with that special someone, that ideal mate, that soulmate you haven't yet found... will not bring you lasting fulfillment, satisfaction, and joy.  Only God can do that.