Speaking for more than the Trees - The Lorax and the Glory of God

I am so excited to share this post with you guys today! This was written by my dear friend Cortney, who is an avid movie lover and and even more avid Jesus-lover. She is super super talented, downright hilarious, and is quick to point back to the glory of God! Hope you guys love this movie review!!

Cortney and I, January 2011 :)

These days, it feels like movies are becoming less like a medium through which to reflect upon the plights of the human condition and more like an opportunity to view as many explosions or scantily clad men and women as possible.

However, as a movie lover, I am beginning to realize that many of the movies (particularly animated) coming out today demonstrate God’s character and heart, most likely without even knowing it!

I’m about to discuss how I saw the revealing of God’s heart and character in The Lorax, so now is as good a time as any to say spoiler alert! If you have not yet had the opportunity to read the wonderful book by Dr. Seuss or see the movie, there are spoilers ahead. =)

The basic plot of The Lorax begins with Zac Efron’s character, Ted, going on a journey to the outskirts of his hometown, Thneedville, to retrieve the very last real tree seed for his crush Audrey, played by Taylor Swift.

While Ted was made out to be the main character in the trailers for this movie, the real main character is a man called the Once-ler, the man Ted ventures to see because he is rumored to have the last tree seed.

As the Once-ler informs us from his mysterious tower, he came to Thneedville when it was still surrounded by beautiful trees and adorable forest animals, to start his business of making Thneeds. Then the thneed, a softer and more diverse version of a scarf, became so popular that, against the Lorax’s wishes, the Once-ler cut down every last tree, eventually going out of business.

But the end of the movie is where we get a clear picture of God’s heart and our own hearts!

As a whole, we (mankind) have a long history of taking the gifts God has given us for granted, asking for more, more, more, more, whenever we decide we’re done with them, or exchanging them for something “better”.

The best example of this has to be at the very beginning of our creation.

After the Lord allowed Adam and Eve to live in the home he created for them, Eve exchanged all of it for something she temporarily thought would be better.

Think about that!

God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night.” God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” God created man in His own image, allowing him to “have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth.” (Genesis 1:14, 1:24, and 1:26) And God made you and me! We have absolutely no claim to fame for creating anything on this earth, because ultimately God is the creator of it all, so what was Eve thinking when she took it for granted?

Of course in hindsight, I can ask this kind of question. But it’s not like this only happened once. We are still taking all that God has given us for granted. We still have sinful hearts that are greedy and fleeting, as the Once-ler honestly illustrates.

At the beginning of the movie, the Once-ler promises the Lorax that he won’t cut down any trees. But once his thneed becomes a hit, the Once-ler completely disregards his promise. Why? For money.

With the coming of Ted, however, the Once-ler is given a second chance. Bam! God’s grace makes its big screen appearance.

The Lorax (source)

Just as the Lord has given us all a second chance through the forgiveness offered by the sacrifice of His son, the Once-ler gets a chance to rebuild the forest that he tore down, and to rebuild his relationship with the Lorax. After giving Ted the tree seed, more seeds are produced, allowing the Once-ler to start re-planting the forest that he once tore down, and his furry friend ascends from the sky at the end of the movie to let him know how happy he is that the Once-ler has discovered the value of the trees.

My prayer is that we might all begin to realize the value of the trees in our own lives. That we would, once again, become a nation that seeks to fully utilize the gifts that God has given, instead of throwing them away. What would happen if we were all Teds, dedicatedly and courageously throwing ourselves into obtaining and sharing our gifts with the world?

If we continue to believe that they have no value, or aren’t as good as something the world has to offer, we will end up in the very same desolate forest that the Once-ler lived in.

Of course, there will always be grace for when we have Once-ler moments, and we cast the Lord’s favor and gifts aside for the newest satisfying distraction (in The Lorax this takes form as bottled air). But I hope that we can all begin to see that His gifts are totally worth having and using for the glory of His kingdom!

Be Ted!

Didn't I tell you it was going to be awesome! Yay Cortney!! Have a wonderful Wednesday friends!

Linking up with these amazing women:

We are THAT family, Women Living Well, Good Morning Girls