Olaf-ful Advice

If you read the book of Proverbs in the Bible you'll take in 31 chapters of Holy Spirit inspired wisdom from the pen of King Solomon. Absolutely words to live by. 

There are also common adages that we hear in everyday life that prove to be true and beneficial when followed. 
(btw I believe that if you were to do the research you'd find that the essence of any adage that works can be found in one way or another in God's Word) 

A few of those that mean a lot to me are: Happy wife, Happy Life; in your closest relationships don't do anything for the first time you wouldn't want to do consistently going forward; if something's different, something's changed. 

The adage that has had the most impact on my life over the last 6 months or so has been this: Loving someone means putting their needs above yours. 

I know this is nothing new. But if you look at this through the lens of our natural human instinct to be selfish, loving someone is a choice. A choice that has to be made everyday. 

Now I didn't remember where I heard this adage simply stated earlier this year but it continues to resonate within me even today. I feel like it has made a difference in my life. I am a little more sacrificial when it comes to giving of my time and deciding what to do on a daily basis. 

Now I have written all of this to bring to light a most humbling realization I experienced last night. 

Watching TV on some weeknights during the summer can be very frustrating. Last night was one of them. We've got hundreds of channels to choose from and there was nothing we wanted to watch on any of them. 

I was flipping through the channels, cause I am the king of the remote at my house, and I came across the Disney's "Frozen"just as it was beginning on the Starz movie channel.

As we watched this instant classic that's been a juggernaut for nearly a year now we sang along with the songs: Do You Want To Build A Snowman, For The First Time In Forever, In Summer, and of course, the infamous  Let It Go. 

I was amazed that I knew things about this move as well as I do. I've only seen it a few times. But as a Disney geek I guess I've been exposed to it more than I realize. 

But the scene that surprised me came near the end of the movie. Princess Anna and Olaf the snowman are in a palace room by themselves. They are standing near a fireplace that has a roaring fire. 

That's when I heard Olaf say the line took me by surprised. He tells Anna that "Love is when you put someone else's needs before yours." 

When I realized what he had said I was taken back a bit. "What?" "You mean the adage I've been using as my personal guideline came from a Disney film?" "From a snowman in a  Disney movie?" 

And he's not even a Disney character I really like. He just doesn't seem to "hit the mark" for me when it comes to likable Disney sidekicks. His behavior and humor seems just a little too contrived and forced for me. 

I shouldn't be surprised that such a profound observation packaged into a memorable "catch phrase" comes from a Disney movie. I mean the Disney universe is full of them and has been from the beginning. 

"A dream is a wish your heart makes", "When you wish upon a star", "Hakuna Matada", are just a few. I'll bet if I tried I could list 100 or so. 

Of course among my personal favorite are: "If you dream it you can do it" (a quote credited to Walt Disney, but was written by a Disney imagineer for the Horizons attraction at Walt Disney World) and one that Walt did actually say, "I hope that we don't lose sight of one thing-that it all began with a mouse".

I guess advice that makes you a better and wiser person is valuable no matter who, what, or where it comes from. But a least I now know who to credit for saying it. 

So even though I'm a little humbled by the source I will continue to remember that when I want to show someone that I love them I will put their needs ahead of mine. 
That's Olaf-ful advice.