Remember Who You Are

This semester I’m redesigning a website for Lauren Engineers & Constructors here in Abilene. The cool thing about this gig is that I can work from home and choose my own hours…and that, if I so choose, I can watch movies while I work. Oh yeah!

Recently while working on the website, I watched The Lion King. The climactic scene where Mufasa visits Simba in a vision has always been one of my favorites, and this time around it was even more special because I saw it in more theological/spiritual terms. I’ve been thinking a lot about the importance of identity and how one’s identity affects one’s thoughts, emotions, and actions. This scene is therefore meaningful to me because it is one in which Simba is reminded of his royal identity as a son of the king. Putting this scene into my own life, I see Mufasa as God the Father and Simba as me (and in some ways as a Christ figure…though an unsatifyingly wimpy one!).

But before Simba’s vision occurs, he needs the prophet-like Rafiki’s guidance:

Simba: Creepy little monkey. Will you stop following me? Who are you?

Rafiki: {In front of Simba, then right in his face.} The question is: whooo... are you?

Simba: {Startled, then sighing} I thought I knew.... Now I'm not so sure.

Rafiki: Well, I know who you are. Shh. Come here. It's a secret.

{He pulls Simba's head over to whisper into his ear. He starts his chant into Simba's ear and laughs.}

Asante sana!
Squash banana!
We we nugu!
Mi mi apana!

Simba: Ernh! Enough already! ...What's that supposed to mean anyway?

Rafiki: It means you are a baboon—and I'm not. {laughs}

Simba: {Moving away} I think… you're a little confused.

Rafiki: {Magically in front of Simba again} Wrong! I'm not the one who's confused; you don't even know who you are!

Simba: {Irritated, sarcastic} Oh, and I suppose you know.

Rafiki: Sure do; You're Mufasa's boy!

{Simba is surprised by this revelation. Rafiki disappears off stage right.}

Bye!

Rafiki runs, Simba chases, and a chant plays in the background. The website (lionking.org) where I found the script to the movie (and the image embedded below) includes a translation of the chant. Interesting…

{Cue music}

We sangoma ngi velelwe [Oh, spiritual healer, I'm troubled]
We baba ngivelelwe [Oh, my father, I'm in pain]
We baba ngivelelwe [Oh, my father, I'm in pain]

Simba: Hey, wait!

{Simba chases after him. When the camera catches up, Rafiki is in a meditative lotus position on a rock.}

You knew my father?

Rafiki: {Monotone} Correction—I know your father.

Simba: I hate to tell you this, but… he died. A long time ago.

{Rafiki leaps off the rock over to a dense jungle-like area.}

Rafiki: Nope. Wrong again! Hah hah hah! He's alive—and I'll show him to you. You follow old Rafiki; he knows the way. Come on!

{Rafiki leads Simba through the brush. Simba has trouble keeping up due to his size. The music slips into African chant.}

Rafiki: Don't dawdle.... Hurry up!

Simba: Hey, whoa. Wait, wait.

Rafiki: Come on. Come on!

Simba: Would you slow down?

{Rafiki is seen flitting through the canopy ahead of Simba, laughing hollowly and whooping. Simba struggles to keep up. Suddenly, Rafiki appears with his hand held up right into Simba's face.}

Rafiki: STOP!

{Rafiki motions to Simba near some reeds.}

Shhh.

{He parts the reeds and points past them with his staff.}

Look down there.

{Simba quietly and carefully works his way out. He looks over the edge and sees his reflection in a pool of water. He first seems a bit startled, perhaps at his own mature appearance, but then realizes what he's looking at.}

Simba: {Disappointed} That's not my father. That's just my reflection.

Rafiki: Nooo. Look ... harder.

{Rafiki motions over the pool. Ripples form, distorting Simba’s reflection; they resolve into Mufasa’s face. There is a deep rumbling noise.}

You see ... he lives in you.

{Simba is awestruck. The wind picks up. In the air the huge image of Mufasa is forming from the clouds . He appears to be walking from the stars. The image is ghostly at first, but steadily gains color and coherence.}

Mufasa: {Quietly at first} Simba . . .

Simba: Father?

Mufasa: Simba, you have forgotten me.

Simba: No. How could I?




Mufasa: You have forgotten who you are, and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the Circle of Life.

Simba: How can I go back? I'm not who I used to be.

Mufasa: Remember who you are. You are my son, and the one true king.

{Close up of Simba’s face, bathed in the golden light, showing a mixture of awe, fear, and sadness. The image of Mufasa starts to fade.}

Remember who you are.

{Mufasa is disappearing into the clouds fast. Simba runs into the fields trying to keep up with the image.}

Simba: No! Please! Don't leave me.
Mufasa: Remember...
Simba: Father!
Mufasa: Remember...
Simba: Don't leave me.
Mufasa: Remember . . .

Remember who you are.

Who am I? I'm Yahweh's boy. A son of the king. A man of God. A man sent on a mission.

But so often I forget this. Because, while I know it intellectually, I don’t truly believe it in my heart, with my whole being. Instead I forget, and I see myself as a just some dude. A guy who has to prove himself. A guy trying to live up to the unhealthy perfectionist standards he places on myself. A guy who looks to others for approval rather than to his Father.

"You have forgotten who you are, and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the Circle of Life."

In forgetting my own identity, I also forget God—his presence, his love. As Rafiki said, “He lives in you.” God does live in me by his Spirit. I have died and been resurrected with Christ in baptism, and sealed with the Holy Spirit; I am a new man called to take my place in the Kingdom and to join God in his mission in the world. My past does not define me, nor does the world, but rather God.

He is my Rock, my Refuge, my Shepherd, my Strength, my Shield, my Hope, my Help, my Salvation, my Peace, my Lord, my King, my Father. And he has made me his heir and a co-heir with Christ. He has made me a co-worker with him in creating each day and in sharing his love. I am a peacemaker. I am a minister of reconciliation. I am the aroma of Christ, spreading every the fragrance of knowing him.

Just as Simba needed Mufasa to speak to him, so I need to hear God say:

"Peace, be still…be still, Mitch, and know that I am God. And know that you, Mitch, are my child, made in my image. Look to me for your identity and value and praise. You don’t have to please everyone and it doesn’t matter what they think, because I love you, I created you in my image, I died for you, and you are my coworker in sharing my love and peace with the world.”

May you hear this as well, and may you find your identity in him. I think it is sad that so many Christians (including myself) struggle with anxiety, anger, depression, addiction, etc. And I think that part of the reason is that we forget our identity—we let other things define us.

And so, I’ve been meditating on my identity in Christ lately, and this scene from The Lion King was encouraging for me. I hope it has encouraged you as well.

Remember who God is.
Remember who you are.
And confidently take your place in the Kingdom of Life.

Remember who you are.

[You can download a video clip of Mufasa's visit on lionking.org. But be warned, it takes an insanely long time...because they seem to have the slowest server in the world!]