... And That is Why I Have Issues with Ariel

** Scrolling through my unposted blog entries today, I found this. I wrote this over the summer, in the context of a SoulPerSuit study we were doing on the book of Esther. Charity and I had also been briefly discussing The Little Mermaid. (I used to love that movie. My father disagrees with my opinions about the flick to this day, so decide for yourself if it's a movie with an agenda.) The following is my own reflection on what stirred in my heart as a teen.**


Esther, Erin, and Ariel. Three teenage girls.

Like most teens, they want to be accepted. They want happiness. They want a certain amount of independence, a certain amount of adulthood., a certain amount of credence. Like most teens, they sometimes make choices that are less-than-wise.
Some might even call these choices "foolish."


Esther, a teenager living in 470-something BC, is an orphan raised by her cousin, Mordecai. She is subject to his authority, living in his household, eating his food, benefiting from his protection and provision. Esther honors Mordecai. She listens to his words, she follows his advice, she honors his father-ship in her life. She obeys him.

Now, Mordecai surely makes faulty decisions. Sometimes his advice is lacking. Sometimes he doesn't listen well and sometimes he speaks a little harshly. His human eyes can't see the end game. His human mind can't completely grasp the wisdom of Yahweh. But he loves his adopted daughter and every word of wisdom he issues in her direction comes from that heart of love.


Ariel is a teenager growing up on the bottom of the sea. She's a mermaid. The daughter of the king. Ariel is the youngest of many sisters. (7, 10, 12? I forget. Let's just say there are a lot.) But all her older sisters are... well... old. And boring. And they always obey King Triton. The goody-goodies. Did I mention that they were boring?
Ariel is adventurous. She wants more than a boring existence as a princess. She wants to be where the people are, wants to see them dancing and walking around on those "feet-things." Wants to know about fire and why it burns. Isn't that noble?

Triton loves his daughter. He wants to see her grow and blossom into the mermaid she is meant to be. He wants to provide for her, to protect her from the dangers of the world, which includes the dangers of entanglement with humans. He may be a little gruff, may hand down a few too many ultimatums, might lack a few listening skills, but his words issued in Ariel's direction come from a heart of love.

Ariel is independent though. She is open-minded and free-thinking. And she is "in love". (Which makes all the difference in the world when you're deciding whether or not to obey your parents, don't you agree?) Since Triton just doesn't understand her, he is obviously not worthy of the honor of obedience. So Ariel chooses to do her own thing. Because only she can know what's best for her.


Erin is growing up in a Christian home filled with love, discipleship and laughter. The eldest daughter in a family of six, she is the first to cross the threshold of many of life's doorways. Her parents are feeling their way through the teenage years right alongside her. (Having no previous experience, what else can they do?) But they temper this feeling-their-way-in-the-dark parenting with Biblical principles and with loving authority. Yes, they make faulty decisions. They sometimes decree unilateral family rules out of convenience rather than individualized discipline. They'll even admit that sometimes they parent with a desire for their own comfort rather than a desire to be conformed to the image of Christ. They are flawed parents. But they love their daughter and every word of wisdom that issues from them in her direction comes from their hearts of love.

Erin knows this. But sometimes she doesn't feel like obeying. And sometimes she doesn't feel like honoring. So she just doesn't.

You see, Erin is a Christian teenager with flimsy convictions. She values her independence. She thinks she knows what is best for her. Her parents don't. God doesn't. (Well, ok, in theory God knows what's best, but seriously, what's the big deal with a little divergence from the plan every now and then?) Erin can handle herself. She is wise beyond her years, she is slightly smug and slightly arrogant. But you'd never know it to look at her. In fact, she doesn't really even know this about herself either.


Until she becomes a mother.
I see my teenage years from a whole new perspective now.
I watch the Little Mermaid through the eyes of a loving parent who wants the best for her three daughters.
I read the story of Esther in a different light.
Now that I've become a mother.