The Lion King is my favorite animated movie because there are so many life lessons that can be taken from it. One that resonates with me comes from the scene where Simba is found by Rafiki and is confronted with his past. Simba was framed by his uncle Scar for the death of his father Mufasa, the King of Pride Rock. Scar told Simba to run away and never come back...and Simba did just that.
For a while Simba was living a life that he thought was pretty fun, hanging out with Timon and Pumbaa, a warthog and a mongoose. Simba was scratching out a life of eating bugs and having fun but was living without purpose. He was afraid of his past.
Rafiki, the wise, old baboon, found Simba and showed him who he truly was. He took Simba to a small pond and told him to look hard at his reflection in the water, and Simba saw his father. Then the ghost of Mufasa appeared and spoke to Simba. "You have forgotten who you are, and so have forgotten me. You are more than what you have become. You are my son, the one true king. Remember who you are."
Simba had been living a life that was below him because of a painful past. He was born to be a king and was living the life of a homeless lion. How many times do we do the same thing? We allow our sins and memories of the past change who we are and we don't live the life that we were designed to live. We forget the grace that God provides us. We don't have to work for it. We don't have to be perfect to get it. We don't have to not do bad things to receive it. It's there! It's almost as if God is constantly saying to us, "Remember who you are! I created you to be more than your sins! You are my son (or daughter) and have a birthright to be a king (or queen) in my Kingdom!"
Simba went back and confronted his past, defeating his evil uncle, and finally claimed his birthright. When will we be ready to do the same? God is always waiting...