Maybe We Should ALL Be Minions...

Lately I've been taking life pretty seriously.  There are good reasons for this.  Lots of good reasons.  But I suppose that could be said for many of us.  The other day I posted a quote on my Facebook page from Edmund Burke, an Irish philosopher.  He was speaking about how adversity is a "severe instructor" but it "strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skills."  It was Saturday afternoon.  A beautiful day outside.  And I was posting about the benefits of adversity.

Within seconds someone commented on my post.  I assumed they were commenting about how true, deep and challenging the quote was to them.

Nope.  To the contrary.  This friend told me it was time to lighten up.  Now I've written a post on this very blog expressing how I don't like people telling me to lighten up.  But she was right.  Actually, she told me I needed to go and get an ice cream cone with sprinkles and skip all the way there.  I haven't skipped in years -- so I'm pretty sure I would have looked ridiculous.  Maybe that was the point.

Instead of skipping to the DQ to get an ice cream cone, I decided to go to the theater and watch "Despicable Me2" for the second time.

The first time I saw "Despicable Me2," the majority of the crowd was over the age of 12.  There were a few kids scattered around, but in general it was a more "mature" crowd.

But not this time.  This time the average age of the audience was around 6.  So, although there were lots more trips to the bathroom, there was also a lot more laughter.  Which was great, because now I could laugh out loud and blend in.  Really, how can you watch the minions doing ANYTHING and not laugh?


And I love the girls, especially Agnes.  This is one of my favorite moments in the film:



Agnes:   I know what makes you a boy.
Gru:    Uh… You do?
Agnes:   Your bald head.
Gru:   Ah, yes.
Agnes:   It’s really smooth.  Sometimes I stare at it and imagine a little chick popping out.  Peep-peep-peep.
Gru:   Good night, Agnes.  Never get older.




With all due respect to the rest of the characters,  though, everyone knows it's really all about the minions.  They are so easily distracted!  In the middle of an important assignment, they see a butterfly and drop everything to follow it.  A bright light in the sky immediately captures their attention -- and their trust, unfortunately!  They're constantly going down rabbit trails.   But most of the time, the distractions, the rabbit trails, bring them joy.  They walk around with an openness to wonder and simple surprises.  They are the opposite of taking life seriously!



As I was watching "Despicable Me2" I actually thought of Lamentations 3:23, "God’s mercies are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness."  The Hebrew word for “new” as used here means “fresh, new thing, to rebuild.”

The application here is pretty exciting -- and extremely encouraging!   Because what this Scripture says is that every morning, EVERY MORNING, God's mercies are fresh and new.  Every morning, God is doing something new in our lives.  He is rebuilding.  His fresh mercies are flowing through us.   

Maybe God's mercies are actually IN the distractions -- the butterflies and stars.  Maybe God is trying to show us that He is doing something NEW all around us, but we're just not walking around with an attitude of wonder...and expectation...and hope.  Maybe we should all be a bit more like the minions!