“Let it Go” – A Creationists Thoughts on “Frozen”

It was a chilly evening in early January and I was sitting in the back of my friend’s car with the lift-gate wide open, huddling under a pile of blankets and jackets.  It may not have seemed like an ideal drive-in movie theater experience, but the chilly winds made a very appropriate setting for the movie Frozen.  That evening I had several thoughts about some of the elements in the movie –thoughts from a creationist perspective – that I wanted to share with y’all here.

Frozen is the story of two princess sisters, Elsa and Anna, and their relationship with each other.   Elsa, the older sister, was apparently born with strange magical powers – when she touches things or moves her hands, it makes creations in ice and snow.  At the beginning of the movie, Elsa and Anna are little girls who love playing together, but their world completely changes when Elsa accidentally hurts Anna with her powers.  Although Anna recovers and forgets about the accident, Elsa and her parents are overwhelmed by the fear of her hurting someone else worse, so they decide to isolate Elsa from everyone (including Anna).

I do not endorse the use of magic in this movie, or really in any movie or book.  The reason I wanted to write about this movie is not because of its deviation from reality, but because of how relatable the story is.  Like Elsa, we have each been specially created with unique gifts, abilities, or talents.   Just as Elsa’s “powers” could harm – even kill – other people, our talents can either be used for good or for evil.  Sometimes we are paralyzed by the fear of wrongly using these gifts so much that we try to suppress our talents, hide ourselves, and even cut the people we love most out of our lives.  It takes balance to learn to use our gifts for good.

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the parable of a master who left his servants, loaning them each a certain amount of money, expecting them each to invest their money wisely until he returned.  God expects us to use what He has given us for His glory.  He also expects us to love one another as He has loved us – not isolating ourselves and hiding our gifts.  When Elsa learned to find a balance between “letting it go” and loving others she was able to make beautiful things that helped her community and her relationship with Anna.  The same can be true for each one of us.