This is Part 5 of a 5-Part Series on Strongholds
Perhaps my favorite part of the movie, Frozen, is when Elsa (Olaf’s “Creator”) conjures up a personal cloud for Olaf; it follows him everywhere, allowing him to stay at the perfect temperature no matter what environment he finds himself in. Olaf’s “cloud” is unique to him; the boundaries (or “temperature”) that keep him content, happy, and safe are not necessarily the same boundaries (or ‘temperature”) that others have. Furthermore, Olaf trusts his Creator; he is happy to have the boundaries because he knows that his happiness and safety depend upon them.
Olaf is not wired up to do heat; others may be able to tolerate heat, but Olaf cannot. When Elsa gives him his own little “cloud”, his own personal boundary, Olaf is happy about it! He doesn’t sit inside, depressed, isolated, and lonely because he has to stay under the cloud, or feel like he is missing out because he can’t sit too close to the bonfire and roast marshmallows like his friends do. He doesn’t continue to sing songs and fantasize about all the wonderful things of summer, or wish he were a sandcastle, and despise the fact that he is not made of sand.
Instead, he has accepted that he, by nature, is a snowman, and he is happy and content to be one, even if other people prefer the heat. He recognizes and appreciates the freedom and safety that come from staying under the cloud. He experiences the maximum freedom, while not taking foolish or unnecessary risks. For the most part, he has the freedom to go where he wants to go when he wants to go there, regardless of the temperature. There are some people, when they know they have a God-given boundary, who constantly try to “sneak out” from under the cloud. “Well, maybe if I just have a little bit of heat, it will be okay.” Or, “Clearly, hanging out by the fire is off limits, but maybe I can lay out on the beach if it’s not too hot.” Or, when they finally come to the realization that they can’t handle the heat, they sit around under their “cloud” moping and complaining, bitter and angry, that even though they’re at the beach, they can’t lay out in the sun like all of their friends seem to be able to do.
Olaf has found freedom from his stronghold – true, permanent, and lasting freedom. He can experience life – abundant life - without the fear of melting, because he has come to know and trust his Creator and the boundaries his Creator has set for him.
© I Lift My Voice, 2015.