God Created Our Whole Inner World
What did you believe in as a child?
Do you remember what “little-you” thought of God?
What did you imagine Jesus to be like?
There’s something foundational about our little selves.
Those years that we lived so long, yet remember so little.
Still, there’s a childhood version of us that remains somewhere in our memories.
What do you think of your little self?
Do you think of your little self at all?
If the little version of you walked up to you now, would you say?
You know, Jesus treasures children, and so we know He treasures the littlest parts of us too…
“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these’” (Matthew 19:14).
And, He also said “‘I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven’” (Matthew 18:3).
As the song goes, “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world…”
Jesus welcomes the little version of you right into His arms.
He’s ready with a big bear hug, whenever we want to run to Him, young or old ;)
Truth is….
He even held us as a baby, supporting the arms of our mothers (Psalm 22:9 & Psalm 71:6).
He even held us in the womb (Psalm 139: 13-16).
Jesus is always aware of and connected to these deep places in us.
It's in these young places where we first developed core drives like love, trust, wonder, and faith.
And over the years, these areas can be injured, malformed, or even underdeveloped.
And through movies like, Inside Out, which are only funny and entertaining, God actually uses these to help us access and heal our own deep places.
We’ll tease out this further on Sunday, as we look at “Inside Out: The Inner Witness” and consider, not just the fun emotions that drive that story, but how God created our whole inner world to reveal Himself, and how He’s wired us to see the gospel, even inside out!
See you soon!
Pastor Dave
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Watch an Intro to all the emotions of Inside Out: Joy, Fear, Anger, Sadness, and Disgust - and begin thinking about how God is speaking in your whole heart!
Watch the Scene of Bing Bong & Joy as they attempt to escape being forgotten forever in the subconscious - and see if you catch a clue of where we’re going this Sunday with the sermon Inside Out: The Inner Witness.
Get in a Little-Kid Mood with this Pixar Short and see if you Glimpse the Gospel here too - it’s called “Lost & Found”. Clue: think about how Jesus came to see and save the lost. And see if you relate with the main character ;)
Create a Watch party for Inside Out (also recommended watching Inside Out 2, since it’s soooo good!)
Gather with friends in your home or online to watch Inside Out. Have fun. Ask questions. Converse Afterwards. But begin with a prayer asking the Holy Spirit to speak to you specifically during the film, and be prepared to notice HIs nudges.
1 BONUS POINT: If you ask someone from a different generation what they think about Inside Out?
2 BONUS POINTS: if you invite someone from a different generation to your Watch Party with you!