Part of your world

HERE we go again, another liveaction remake of a beloved childhood classic. The Little Mermaid comes to cinemas this weekend, retelling Disney’s 1989 animated version, which itself is loosely based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of 1837. It’s a story worthy of revisiting – the tale of a young girl on a quest to explore another world, one she feels she cannot belong to. The main character, Ariel, desperately wants to escape her life under the sea and live above ground, to experience a different reality. Risking it all, she makes a dangerous bargain in an attempt to reach it. It’s a tale of resilience, mistakes, friendship and, ultimately, love and acceptance.

For some purists the idea of remaking the animated feature – which many of us grew up with – is very worrying. What will happen to the music? Will it lose its message? Will the remake take away from the original? But there is something powerful about going back to old stories and revisiting their truths in the light of today.

I have the honour of being the UK representative to The Salvation Army’s International Children and Youth Advisory Group. We meet with young people from all over the world and talk about big issues, complex situations and important topics. As part of a recent meeting, we revisited an old Bible narrative, one I thought I was familiar with and had nothing more to learn from: the woman at the well (see John 4:1–38).

The woman was on the outside looking in, unable to be part of the world she wanted to connect with. Into this reality Jesus sought her out, telling her truths about her life and offering her hope and a future. As we considered this Scripture, I was struck by the way every member of this international group could relate to it somehow. My friends from Africa to South America all spoke about their concerns for those who feel they are outcasts in their different societies and cultures. I was reminded afresh of this narrative’s relevance.

What if, like the Samaritan woman, we feel we don’t belong? The grace shown to that woman at the well is offered to each one of us through Jesus. There is a Saviour who knows everything about us and yet still chooses to love us and longs to welcome us not just into a new world but into his Kingdom.

There are other people today who feel like they are on the outside looking in, who are thirsty for hope and forgiveness but feel unable to belong. How can we, like Jesus, reach out to them, take a step towards their world and graciously, humbly offer them hope and grace in Jesus’ name?