My daughters and I kicked off our summer break from school last year with a trip to the movies to see the Little Mermaid movie. The remake of the classic Disney cartoon was pretty good. The young mermaid wants to be part of the human world. Sebastian the crab reminds her that living in the world is not all that it’s cracked up to be, that things are better “under the sea.” Her father repeatedly warns her against interacting with the humans of the world and eventually, she rejects all instructions and ends up among the land people. It all works out for her in the end. She and her love interest Eric help save the day and restore peace. Her father gives her the blessing and makes her human so she can live in the world. They all lived happily ever after. How touching. 

There are some parallels to Christianity. Far too often we live the life of the Christian and silently want to be “part of the world.” We see what everyone else is doing and we want what they have. Numerous people in our lives are cautioning us against such recklessness, but inwardly we just want to be like everyone else. We want to go where they go, do what they do, wear what they wear, say what they say, and see what they see. We want to free ourselves of the restrictions of living in our Father’s world. It is too conveniently forgotten how much better life is “under the sea.” Things are not all they are cracked up to be with the rest of the world. What do we do? We take up our mermaid complex and sing about how much we want to be there instead of here. 

I don’t want to stretch this too far. After all, that is just a kid’s movie and it is enjoyable if you don’t think too deeply about the message of the movie. The big truth remains: your Father doesn’t want you to be like them. He wants you to be with Him and live in comfort and peace. He wants you to stay with Him and maintain a healthy relationship. 

So, what happens to us if we get too far into the mermaid mindset? We shake free from the shackles of a loving Father who wants the best for us. We ignore instruction from loving individuals who want us to be right with our Father. Instead, we bite hook, line, and sinker into the tantalizing temptation offered by the sea witch. The world and sin drag us in with their net and we suffocate on dry land. While it was happy ever after for Ariel. My friend, if you turn away from the wishes of your Father, reject the council of loving friends, and swim ashore you will surely die a painful spiritual death. Don’t get the little mermaid complex. The life we have here is way better than anything they have out there!