Between You and Me...

 "And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ's authority for your benefit, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes." ~2 Corinthians 2:10-11

Tiffany and I went to see The Huntsman: Winter's War this weekend. (The previews looked a bit dark and twisty, so I wasn't sure what I would think, but having already seen literally everything else worth seeing, I decided it was worth a shot.) Not a movie I want to own or watch repeatedly, but I'm really glad I saw it...

There's one scene I haven't been able to stop thinking about. Thanks to John Eldredge, I am hyperaware of the spiritual realm, and God is so good at using movies and music to speak to me and often reflect and clarify what is happening spiritually. 
(*Spoiler ahead on the movie for anyone who cares.*)

Freya (Emily Blunt's character) is known as the Ice Queen, and love is a criminal offense in her kingdom. She experienced the deep betrayal of the man she loved and the heartbreaking murder and loss of her only child, and in that moment, her heart went dark and cold... and she gained the power to turn things to ice, Elsa-style (Side note: Elsa was actually patterned after this fairy tale character, but Disney changed the story almost completely to be more kid-friendly and appropriate). ...Anyway, because her heart was so wide open to love and trust, she suffered far more pain and agony than her evil, power-hungry sister... so she began to equate love and vulnerability with being pathetic and weak. She wanted to rule in a kingdom of strength, so she hardened herself and trained children up to be warriors who viewed love as wrong and bonding with others as a trap.

In spite of her plan, her two strongest child soldiers, Eric and Sara, gradually fell in love with each other, hiding it from the queen as best they could. They vowed to get married and to fight for each other no matter what came against them, till death do us part...

Of course, the Queen found out. In response, she separated and disarmed Eric and Sara, then brought out several armed soldiers, telling the couple that they could be together if only they could fight through the crowd and get to one another... 

They fought with all their strength, slowly taking down those who stood in their way, finally feeling victorious and moving toward each other.  BAM! - Freya threw up a tall, thick dividing wall of ice between them, keeping her hand firmly on the wall as her eyes grew clouded and glassy...

They could see each other through the transparent ice, and Eric saw one of the defeated soldiers get back up and stab Sara from behind, watching in shock as she slowly fell and bled to death. He was able to run away and hide from the queen for several years. 

But surprise... You find out later in the movie that Sara is very much alive and well, being held as a prisoner in that kingdom. When they meet again, Eric is overjoyed and she is irate.

In flashbacks, they reveal that although they were only two feet away from each other, the queen was able to control what they saw through the ice wall she put up between them -- causing Eric to see Sara's death, and causing Sara to see Eric giving up and walking away because she wasn't worth the fight...

Sara became angry and bitter, and Eric went into mourning and hiding. She felt abandoned and devalued, and he felt alone and powerless. And they both stopped fighting the real enemy because they were completely deceived about what was actually happening. They stopped even trying to break through the wall or climb over it because everything felt pointless and hopeless. 

Wow, that image was seriously powerful to me!

We have a real enemy, and the lens through which we view our lives matters DEEPLY. Regardless of our reality, if Satan can deceive us and change our perception of other people (and vice versa) ...if he can make us believe that we are basically alone and that fighting him is futile, then we will react and behave according to that false belief. And that's exactly what he does - playing games and whispering lies in our minds, trying to weaken our resolve and make us feel outcast and defeated, turning on each other before we even begin fighting him. Ugh, it's painful that he gets away with it so often (at least in my case)!

All of this was timely for me, obviously. Along with seeing that movie, my Ransomed Heart email the other day was about breaking unholy bonds with people, allowing only the love of God, the Spirit of God, and the kingdom of God to come between you. John encouraged readers to pray and bring the cross of Christ between themselves and every other person, especially in situations with unhealthy emotional and spiritual ties...

“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” ~Galatians 6:14

"The beauty is, the cross never prevents love from passing between us, never prevents the Spirit of God from coming between us. The cross only cuts off unhealthy things, so there is never any fear in bringing it between you and [anyone else.]" ~John Eldredge

Mmm, I LOVE that. I can picture Christ knocking down the false dividing walls, becoming the only thing standing between me and others, placing His hand over my mind... enabling me to see things clearly, to value and treat every other person as He does. For Him to heal my mind and heart, and forever stand between me and everyone else... I so need that, and I will pray for and pursue it!!