On Sunday my husband, our girls and I sat down and watched Mr Magorium’s Wonder Emporium together. It’s a beautiful movie, but one thing stood out to me.
Early on, Molly Mahoney is colouring in with a child in the store. She whispers conspiratorially to him:
“No matter what they tell you, you don’t have to stay inside the lines”.
How true is that? We tell our children to stay inside the lines. “Don’t break the rules, don’t rock the boat. Do what you’re told”. That too often channels into “That’s the wrong way to do it, trees are not purple, you can’t say that, you can’t wear sandals with jeans, you can’t put your hair in seven pigtails”.
Yes, rules are important and children need boundaries. But when we grow up, all those little conformities stay with us. They even come into our spirituality.
“God doesn’t work like that. You need to stay within the guidelines. Ministries must be run under the pastor. Worship is confined to singing, in the appropriate place and at the appropriate time.”
Conform, conform, conform. Paint yourself into a box and stay there. Be careful to stay in the lines.
Another movie quote – this time from The Color Purple, which I incidentally watched on Saturday:
“I think it pisses God off when you walk by the colour purple in a field and don’t notice it. “
Where has our wonder gone? I think sometimes we need to learn to colour outside the lines. In bright purple permanent ink.
[Edit: And now I go to my Google reader to find Makeesha has posted on the exact same concept! This is becoming a habit - what is with that? Perhaps I should put it down to great minds...]
I believe that would be called “confirmation” in Christianese.
Anyhoo, I agree wholeheartedly.
hmmm….you can’t wear sandals with jeans?
I quite enjoyed that movie as well.
My middle child is an “out of the lines” artist type child. One example – she wished to have her bed moved out from the wall. No walls touching any side of the bed. Her reasons – “I like it that way … it keeps me from bumping my head”. I’m a very conventional person so her request to not have the head of her bed touch the wall almost drove me to explain to her why that’s just not the way things are done. THANKFULLY I caught my tongue before it started flapping. I just said “ok then” and moved her bed.
She’s only 6 and has lots of room left for anyone to try and convince her that she’s looking at things “incorrectly”. Our family is committed to not trying to shove her into a box but rather appreciate the wonder on things that her perspective brings.
I think I’ll watch this movie again tonight. My only complaint is that the very last scene was LAAAAAAAAAAME!
Side note – I fixed your link on my blog roll. Sorry about that!
And why is my avatar here a mad purple guy?
Shelly, I didn’t even think of that! I think my Christianese is slowly getting rusty (thankfully!).
Walking away, not in my world you can’t. Thongs (flip-flops for those non-Aussies) are acceptable, though.
Michelle, I have one of those too – she’s 7. She sleeps on top of (not next to) a stuffed horse that is bigger than she is, and refuses to sleep under her doona – instead she wraps herself in any blankets she can find.
I keep telling myself “just as long as she’s not hurting anyone….” but it takes every inch of self control not to say “You have a BED – it’s shaped like that for sleeping in, lying DOWN! Your pillow, mattress and doona are there for a reason!”
*sigh*
Oh, and your avatar here is automatically generated. If you want your own pic there you’ll have to sign up for a WordPress username here (just change the radio button to “Just a username, please”). Then you can upload your own avatar.
Heather.
That is the exact phrase that God used to talk to a friend and me as He walked us out of the church we were in. It’s okay to color outside the lines…
Wow, Katherine. That says so much.
Suuurrree, great minds, thats what it is.
I like this post a lot. It is very insightful, and very true. Jake Colson wrote about this in his book, “so you don’t want to go to church anymore.” It leaves such a strong impression on us as people, that breaking away, almost breaks us.
Nate, thanks. Sorta
I haven’t read that book yet – I’m thinking I should, since people quote it to me so often!
The breaking away is such a difficult thing to do. I am so glad that part of my journey has been and gone. And yet, that almost breaking has made me so much stronger now that I am so thankful it happened.
That, and the colouring outside the lines thing is a wonderful adventure that I would never give up.
Hi there, I’ve stopped by a couple of times and am just now getting to leaving a comment. (I can’t remember how I came across your blog, but am glad I did). I really was encouraged and in agreement with you with respect to conforming how people think God works in boxes (they wouldn’t admit that, and you didn’t specifically say that but I think it was infered). My husband and I for the last 8 years have been on a journey, (for sure w/out fear and doubt this last year and half) to live a life as a follower of Jesus, with people in the conventional church, people who don’t know God, people we meet in the grocery store, people standing on the corner asking for change, etc. We felt very strongly within and through God’s word that we can’t and shouldn’t compartmentalize our faith and/or life walk with Christ to just Sunday, or at church functions. We can’t expect or even begin to do church, (authentically) sitting around in a church only working on ourselves, our faith, our walk, we hold the truth, we need to live it out by sharing it with others, being burdened with others, and learning to led God be God, and the High Priest, and letting His spirit lead, sharpen, teach etc. I’m rambling sorry, but I was definatley lifted up to hear your post, maybe we’re not in the same exact place, but to hear truth spoken is always encouraging to me. I often hear about what the walk with God is suppose to be, quoted from a church goer that doesn’t know one person who isn’t a believer, and/or cuts checks to the food banks, or the missionaries in India/Mexico, but doesn’t lift a finger in their own lives to share their faith, and/or hope. God makes us new, He’s given us life when we were dead, we’re surrounded by people who are shells w/out HIS spirit within them. Rambling again, I look forward to conversing with you and to stopping by your website again. It’s hard for me NOT to talk/share directly from my heart – Peace & Love through Christ Jesus – Heather
Hi, Heather. Pull up a chair – there’s plent of room!
Thanks for your comment. It sounds like you two have been on an amazing journey too. Thank you for your encouragement too – I hope to hear more from you!
Oh, and don’t apologise for rambling! I manage to do a fair amount of that myself