something that the little mermaid taught me.

maybe it's because i have a
two year old daughter at home-
or maybe i'm just using that as an excuse
for my own personal thrill of it-
but the past year has reintroduced me
to the wonderful world of all things disney.
it's an odd feeling to watch these movies again-
movies that i grew up with,
now sharing with my own child.

it's a satisfying experience,
and yet eerie in the sense
that it only feels like just yesterday,
that i was 6 years old, watching
beauty and the beast for the first time.
apparently time does fly.

it's also strange to watch these movies again,
as an adult, having lived a bit of life,
and i'm amazed at the themes and undertones
of these movies, that i could only
extract as an adult.

here's a line from the little mermaid,
which has always struck me,
but i've been a bit more occupied with lately:

"i just don't see how a world
that makes such wonderful things
could be bad"

when i was growing up, my bible picture book
(and nearly anything i can think of that i can
associate the word christian with)
outlined that this world that god created,
is filled with sin.

now, they say that this sin is mankind's own doing,
but there is so much emphasis on that sin part,
that i think we miss out on a very important truth:
that god did create the world, and it is beautiful.

think of how being cultured with the knowledge
of sin being present and active in the world
like a rampant virus, just waiting to exploit us all,
taints our worldview.

maybe it makes us more skeptical of each other.
maybe it causes barriers between races.
maybe it causes us to dwell on being fallen,
and truly does separate us from
any chance of redemption.

to be told that you're a fallen creation,
for some, that's a truth that could quite
literally destroy your self worth and true potential.
it's a dangerous thing really, and yet,
we hurl it at each other like we're all
on the playing field of spiritual dodge ball.

what if we looked at it from a different angle-
and started from the actual beginning itself,
that god created something beautiful,
and we- people quite literally created in his image-
also hold the amazing potential to do beautiful things.
how would that change who we are?
how would that empower us to be life-givers,
rather than destroyers.

and don't even get me started on the implications
this has for how we should treat the planet in general
(that'll be a different rant for a different day).

i look at how we're expecting a second child
in a few months, and do i really want to think
that we're giving birth to a person who's entering
a fallen world- of sin, destruction, despair.
if i start from that vantage point,
how can i be an effective father at all?-
let alone, a father who seeks to exemplify
the positive characteristics of god?

maybe we need to change our vantage point.
if we start from love, creation, and beautiful things,
how can we help from living a life to the full?