Brave like Merida

From my recent tweet: 5 YO daughter is trying new courageous things & says “I’m brave like Merida”. Movie hasn’t even been released yet! #Fantastic @DisneyPixar

Ok, so it’s no secret that the Clark’s are HUGE Pixar fans, and we will very likely see the film on it’s June 22 release date, but this isn’t about our love of animated cinema.

This is about the fact that I LOVE the idea that an important virtue— like courage—can take hold of and inspire a just-turned-5-year-old little girl!

Abbi will see the movie with the rest of us, and if past is prologue, she will want to have a doll, and a poster on her wall, and use our annual passes to visit the “real life” Scottish princess at Disneyland. As parents, sometimes we say no—this time, we’ll go for all of it.

You may ask why! Well, this isn’t just about a consumer compulsion (though the Disney folks can be quite convincing). One of the core values of the Clark household is courage and personal responsibility. As the marketing machine has revved up, Deborah and I didn’t even notice or point out the association to this value—Abbi found it all on her own (thank you very much Disney•Pixar).

You see, we are constantly on the lookout for real-world (or, in this case, fictional) examples that will support our values and that will connect with our kids to help them grow in the way that we sense the Lord is shaping them. We purposefully named our kids Caleb, Jonathan, and Abigail–all three Biblical examples of great godliness, determination, creativity, responsibility, leadership and courage—and we are intentionally raising them in such a way that they will reflect those values.

The key word here is intentionally. Maybe you would grab ahold of other values for your kids or your life. That’s ok; there are hundreds of Biblical values to connect with. But have you intentionally considered the kind of identity God is calling your kids—or even your own life—to reflect?

All our lives must be shaped to purpose; a child’s life is under the stewardship of her or his parents. If you haven’t already, take some time to seek the Lord regarding how He would call you to shape your or your kids lives, and then get passionate to look for and implement all kinds of creative ways to encourage and support that calling…even if the creative way is found through a Pixar movie!