So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15, NLT)

Sometimes when I watch movies with my kids, I like to ask them what “gospel themes” they saw in the movie. I do this, because I recognize watching movies is something they love to do (me too, actually), and I want to seize as many opportunities as I can to disciple them in the way of Jesus and develop a biblical worldview—even at a very young age.

Now, this isn’t as torturous as it sounds. I don’t pause the movie every five minutes to quiz them. I try to talk after we’ve finished the movie. Sometimes, we only get through half a movie during the evening, so I will try talking with them about where they saw things like evil, redemption, hope, and sacrifice show up in the movie. 

Disney’s classic animated film The Lion King is one that actually carries a pretty powerful message about identity. I know, I know. There are a lot of pantheistic themes to The Lion King. It’s good to address those, too. But I would argue that the whole “circle-of-life” thing isn’t actually the main theme of the movie. At the core, I think it’s all about how our identity shapes our purpose in life.

The Lion King is loosely based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet, with the whole evil uncle slaying Hamlet’s father so that he can be king. But in The Lion King, as young Simba runs away in fear, he also ends up running away from responsibility.

He meets Timon and Pumbaa, a lovable meerkat and warthog duo, that have developed a philosophy of life called “Hakuna Matata,” which apparently means “No Worries.” They are the classic slackers. They talk about embracing a lifestyle of “no rules, no responsibilities,” and how this leads to a carefree existence. 

Honestly, I think there are a lot of Timons and Pumbaas in our world—those who would rather eat a plate of bugs than embrace any level of responsibility. The two teach Simba how to belch, joke, and sing. With nothing better to do, they speculate about the mysteries of the universe with no true authority or guidance but their own imaginations. Ironically, I think these comical clods are meant to be an indictment of where running from responsibility will take you—looking for satisfaction by eating slimy worms. Notice we never meet a Mrs. Timon or Mrs. Pumbaa.

Simba joins their lot for a time, until he runs into a freaky baboon named Rafiki, who tells him: “The question is… Who are you?” Simba regretfully admits he’s not so sure anymore. 

Then comes the great turning point in the plot—the reason The Lion King is a compelling story, kids’ movie or no. Simba has a vision of his father, Mufasa, who says, “Simba, you have forgotten me.” “No,” Simba replies, “How could I?” Mufasa continues, “You have forgotten who you are, and so, you have forgotten me… Remember who you are. You are my son and the one true king.”

That reminder is what makes all the difference and compels Simba to return to his place as king. In the same way, you and I who belong to the one true king need to remember who we are.

When you come to Jesus Christ, you leave your old identity behind and you find your true identity in Him. Through our union with Christ, God our Father adopts us into His family, and He calls us His beloved children with whom He is well pleased (Matthew 3:17; Romans 8:14-17). 

To our great astonishment, God now considers us royalty, destined to be co-heirs with Christ our King. This thought should blow our minds. If we really contemplate what this means, it just might!

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:16-17, ESV)

We belong to God our Father, and that means we who suffer in union with Jesus will one day be glorified in union with Jesus. See if your soul can take in the magnitude of that thought. 

What does this mean? Well, for starters it means that we have indescribable value in God’s eyes. We matter more to Him than we could possibly fathom. It means there is a purpose and meaning to our lives beyond “Hakuna Matata.”

Ironically, if life is just about a grand “circle of life,” then the “No Worries” lifestyle actually makes sense. We live. We eat. We die. Our bodies become food for bacteria. So, why worry about how you live? Your “life force” is going to keep going around the same circle anyway, so you might as well live it up and enjoy yourself for your brief segment of the circle.

But if we belong to God, we really do have a purpose in this life that will carry forward into eternity. You were made to make a difference—to know God and to make Him known. It also means that God has a calling on your life. Like Simba, we have an enemy who wants to thwart our Father’s plans for us. He lies about our identity. He tells us we don’t matter to God, that we’ve sinned too much to be forgiven or used by Him. 

That is why we have to take up the shield of faith, Scripture says, to protect us from all the fiery darts of the evil one (Ephesians 6:16). Only through faith in what God says about us can we overcome and be more than conquerors through Him who loves us.

Remember whose you are. If you have trusted in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, you have a new identity. You belong to Jesus Christ. You are clothed in His righteousness. You are forgiven. You are valuable in your Father’s sight. He adopted you as His own child because He loves you and He is not ashamed of you. He is well pleased to call you His own.

“In love He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:4-5, ESV)

Are you interested in learning more about Jesus Christ and what He’s done for you? I’d love to hear from you!