I was watching the movie "Finding Nemo" yesterday with my 2-yr-old, a movie I have seen no less than 200 times, and one of the scenes caught my attention as I watched it in a different light.

It's basically about a clown fish, Marlin, who looses his son, Nemo, to divers and he travels across the ocean to Sydney to find him. Along his journey, Marlin meets several fish, and sea turtles, who help him along. And he also encounters many hurdles that slow him down. At one point, he and his fish friend, Dori, are swallowed by a whale. While inside the whale, Dori is gleefully riding the waves with the whale's movement while Marlin is frantically trying to get out, with no success. Suddenly the whale stops moving and the water starts going down. The whale tells them to "go to the back of the throat." Dori obeys, while Marlin assumes the whale is trying to eat them. As the whale lifts up his tongue to send the water and 2 fish down into the "dark", Dori and Marlin continue to hold on, attempting to prolong the inevitable (as if they have a choice in the matter). Then the whale speaks again. The part that struck me is the conversation that follows:

Dori says to Marlin: "He said it's time to let go! Everything's going to be alright!"
Marlin: "How do you know?!? How do you know something bad isn't going to happen?!?"
Dori: "I don't!"

Then Marlin closes his eyes, and lets go, fully expecting to be lunch. No sooner do they fall when the water rushes upward as the whale spouts it out, along with Dori and Marlin, and they land safely in the water outside the whale. As they swim to the surface they see that the whale has brought them the rest of the way to their destination. They have safely arrived to Sydney.

After watching this scene I was struck by the thought that I often feel like Marlin inside the whale when I hit those big obstacles in life, when things fall apart and my plans don't work out, when the problems I'm facing feel endless... and seem to set me back further and further from my goals. I get so frustrated! And while pondering this, I asked myself the question, "What if I decide to 'let go' and let God carry me the rest of the way?" It's a nice idea and what I ultimately strive for, but in reality, it can be so hard to do... having faith when I have no idea how things will turn out. But something tells me I won't fall down into the deep dark. If I just listen, trust, and obey Him, perhaps I'll find myself closer to my destination afterall. When I give up control, I find peace. And through it all I'm stronger, I'm wiser, and well-rested, ready to continue the journey.

Who would have thought I could find spiritual meaning in a children's movie?