If you are a movie lover, spend any time caring for children in any way or are a Disney fan then you definitely, automatically sang the title of this article and auto filled the name Bruno. Didn't you?
"We don't talk about Bruno" is the standout song from Disney's latest movie Encanto which was released in November 2021. The viral sensation has been topping global charts and has had the world bopping and singing about the estranged Uncle Bruno.
The song is a full ensemble piece in which members of the family and the village sing about the prophecies that Bruno brought forth before he disappeared and how their lives had been 'ruined'. Towards the end of the movie the audience realises that Bruno simply expressed what was in front of him, had no direct hand in the turns of events around him and yet was blamed for all of it.
It is easy to empathise with Bruno and criticise the many other characters that ostracised him but what we may fail to realise is that we are them and they are us. As humans we naturally fear what we don't understand and we naturally attack or avoid what we fear or what makes us uncomfortable.
Do you remember when?
How many of you can remember getting in trouble at school and thereafter taking the long route to a particular class just so you wouldn't have to pass by the principal's office? What had your principal done to you that was so terrible? Nothing, except mete out the necessary consequence for your own actions. You however felt so burdened by guilt, regret and possibly resentment that your principal became the persona non grata in your life and everyone that has met you since you graduated knows all about this 'terrible' person in your life.
In Genesis 3 we see a similar kind of response after Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate of the forbidden fruit.
"Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realised they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden." (Genesis chapter three verses 7-8)
Avoidance… Once we are made aware of our own failings and wrongdoings our default move tends to be to try and get away from the situation or person who is holding up the mirror for us to see this very uncomfortable reflection of ourselves.
Accountability
Being held accountable very often has us feeling ill at ease. We don't want to be reminded of how much we've hurt, disappointed, betrayed or abandoned someone else. We certainly do not desire to deal with the consequences of our actions but stop and just think with me for a moment.
As a Christian, what does Christ's death on the cross mean to you?
Most people will answer that with a resounding everything!
Definitely if it weren't for Christ's death and resurrection, none of us would be where we are today but let's get a bit more granular and throw in a few big words whilst we're at it… expiation, propitiation, reconciliation and redemption.
“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.” (Titus chapter 2 verses 11-12)
When Christ died and rose again all of our sins were erased as if they never happened, God’s wrath was satisfied with Jesus’ sacrifice, our estrangement from God because of sin ended, we received the gift of salvation and we were delivered from the bondage and power of sin.
Split the V, dot the I, rock the C-T-O-R-Y!
Christ died so that we as His children would be victorious in all areas of our lives. Christ died so that we could be free from the entanglements of sin. Christ died so that when we do mess up we can receive forgiveness and be made whole again.
When we, because of pride, guilt and an urge to avoid accountability, run away from anything that acknowledges or discloses our wrongdoing, instead of walking in victory we take on the roles of either victim or villain. Essentially declaring within our hearts that regardless of what Christ's death accomplished on the cross it still is not enough to cover this particle incident in our lives.
In today’s world where simply having an @ in front of your name online apparently gives you the authority to speak on whatever topic you deem important, as Christians we cannot afford to take the stance of 'We don't talk about…', whatever it is, when it comes to certain matters in our personal lives. We will miss opportunities time and time again to receive full deliverance from God and to be able to shout it from the mountain tops LOOK WHAT GOD HAS DONE.