When I first saw the commercial for Frozen over two years ago, I was immediately turned off by it. I thought that it’d be a cheesy movie about a wintry land that was home to an annoying snowman. But I was very wrong. This movie has the most insightful elements of any Disney animated movie I’ve ever seen. Through watching it many times, I’ve identified five major principles that Frozen teaches us about life:
1. Isolation harbors unhealthy contemplation.
Because of her dangerous icy powers, Elsa was locked up for years with no relationships and zero social interaction. When she was alone, she had more time to spend thinking and worrying about her loneliness. And when she was finally able to leave her room, her fears and worries were more intense than ever because she’d spent years thinking about (what she thought were) her imperfections and weaknesses. Similarly, when we choose to isolate ourselves, we often spend too much time ruminating on things that we view as our flaws—which honestly has no benefits. It just leads us to become scared, anxious, and even self-obsessed.
2. Desperation leads to heartbreak.
When Anna met Hans, she immediately fell for him. She was charmed by his good looks, his charisma, and the attention that he gave her. Without setting any boundaries around her heart, she dove head-first into a relationship with him. She didn’t observe his behavior or ask for the advice of others. Instead, she let down her guard and gave herself to a man who ended up abandoning her. The only difference between this situation and reality is that guys often want our bodies—not our thrones—and will often say or do anything to get them.
3. True love never comes without a fight.
Despite what most Disney movies tell us, love isn’t a gooey feeling or a tender emotion. Rather, it’s a choice that requires hard work. In Frozen, Anna had to fight for Elsa—and Olaf and Kristoff had to fight for Anna. And Christ had to fight—and still fights—for us and for our hearts.
4. Letting go can lead to rebellion, rather than freedom.
Elsa became so irritated with her life—a life based on following rules as she hid who she really was—that she eventually rebelled against rules entirely. (Hence her infamous solo, “Let It Go.”) She completely rejected royal standards because they told her what to do and who to be. But ultimately, the best kind of “letting go” leads to freedom. It allows us to follow Jesus because we can—not because we must. We should never reject God’s standards of what to do and who to be because He knows best and wants the best for us.
5. There’s no greater love than self-sacrifice.
Elsa’s heart was frozen before Anna sacrificed herself for Elsa. And in a way, our hearts were frozen toward God before we even understood that Christ had sacrificed Himself for us. When Anna intervened to save Elsa, she saved Elsa’s life. And when Christ took our place on the cross, He saved our ours.
For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8 NASB)
Tizzie's Tidbits of Truth 