Salt Leaven and Light

The Broadway performance of Lion King left me speechless. The set design, costumes, puppets, music, and performances were magical, but it was, without a doubt, the storyline that impacted me the most. My daughter summed up my thoughts perfectly when she shared:

“I have always loved the story, but as I watched it again, the symbolism really struck me.

Simba, Timon, and Pumba are wandering around each day, trying to find a nice place to call home. But each time they stop, Simba says that it doesn’t feel right. Nala eventually shows up and reminds Simba where his home really is; Pride Rock. But it’s not until Simba sees his father’s reflection in himself that he realizes where he’s truly meant to be.

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We are all like Simba. Our heavenly home can seem very far away. We know that heaven is where we really belong, but yet, we may wonder why we never feel quite at home here on the earth. Max Lucado wrote:

“Contentment is a difficult virtue. Why? Because there is nothing on earth that can satisfy our deepest longing. We long to see God. The leaves of life are rustling with the rumor that we will—and we won’t be satisfied until we do.”

Simba was never content in his search for a home, because he was searching in the wrong places! He had forgotten that Pride Rock was his true home, and where he belonged. Max Lucado again writes:

“The only ultimate disaster that can befall us, I have come to realize, is to feel ourselves to be home on earth. As long as we are aliens, we cannot forget our true homeland. Unhappiness on earth cultivates a hunger for heaven. By gracing us with a deep dissatisfaction, God holds our attention. The only tragedy, then, is to be satisfied prematurely. To settle for earth. We are not happy here because we are not supposed to be happy here. We are “like foreigners and strangers in this world” (1 Peter 2:11). And you will never be completely happy on earth simply because you were not made for earth. Oh, you will have moments of joy. You will catch glimpses of light. You will know moments or even days of peace. But they simply do not compare with the happiness that lies ahead.”

We, like Simba, are far from our true home. But as we strive to live so Christ’s image is ‘reflected in our countenance’, heaven won’t seem so far away. In fact, it will be closer than ever before.