Shame in The Lion King
Shame in the Lion King
…a perfect analogy
The Lion King is a perfect analogy for the pain of shame and how to overcome it. Maybe you never noticed that.
In my book Healing the Hurts of Your Past , and my workshops, I use the movie to teach the principles of shame.
The Lion King is a movie that most people have seen but they've never seen the teachable moments. Let me lay out the basics.
Shame and the Lion King:
The roots of Simba's shame: the trauma he experienced seeing his father die.
The lies of shame: "It's my fault,” “I’m disqualified,”. "I'm not the king."
The fruit of believing these lies: Isolation. He ran away from his community. Self-doubt. He refused to take on the role as king.
The solution: His father told him..."Remember who you are", that is, the king.
Remember Who You Are
We live out what we believe about ourselves even if what we believe is wrong.
How many of us have put a limit on our success and happiness because we don't believe we deserve it? What if success and happiness weren't related to deserving it? What if success and happiness were a gift given by a loving God?
If you were to believe THAT do you think things might change for your life?
In the movie, Simba finally chose to believe he was the king and in remembering who he was he returned to take back the throne. The emotional high point of the story is when he climbs Pride Rock to claim his rightful role as king.
Do you see the contrast?
When he believed the lies "It's my fault" and "I'm not the king" he lived in isolation. And he created a narrative that justified his isolation. He told his girlfriend, Nala, that he got “to live on my own and it’s great.”
But when he chose to believe the truth that he hadn’t been disqualified, he BECAME the king. He fulfilled his destiny and was restored to his rightful place in community.
I wonder...what will it take for you to reclaim your rightful place in life? What lies are you believing that are keeping you from your God given destiny?
Be sure to check out my book, Healing the Hurts of Your Past to read all that I have to say about shame and how to overcome it. (see image below)
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