Disney has done it again. Perfect casting and memorable songs brought to life in the newest of live-action reboots, Aladdin. I wasn’t much into the animated version, but with real people on-screen, I felt the emotion. 

During the magic carpet ride, the central theme of the movie hit me. It’s a tale of identity – truly discovering who you are and becoming that person.

[There are no movie spoilers in this post and this is not a movie review, but I do give Aladdin a thumbs up.]

Each of the main characters struggled in their unique ways to live out their truest of identities. I think it’s the same for us. We sometimes feel out of place or we feel the urge to go against the flow. The person we are deep inside points us to a place that is often different enough from the norm that becoming that person is an uphill climb. But I’m writing to say be brave. Be that person.

I’m not saying to be that doctor, or be that philanthropist. I’m not talking about vocations or even greater pursuits. I’m writing about something deeper. Deeper, yet simple.

God gave us an emptiness in our hearts that He wants to fill. We may not recognize it as such, but He gave each of us the sense that there is a future after life on earth.

I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.
He has made everything beautiful in its time.
He has also set eternity in the human heart;
yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Ecclesiastes 3:10-11

➧ Do you feel it – your heart confirming the reality of eternity?

We long for meaning and purpose and answers, and we fill our longing with many things: accomplishments, popularity, things that money can buy, things that money can’t buy… But deep down inside, we realize that none of these things satisfy perfectly. Deep down inside we know that eternity begs for our attention.

While the on-screen Aladdin romance flourished during that magic carpet ride, I fancied the promise of new life for the young couple. But during that scene, God reminded me that He, Himself, can show us the world, as the feature song repeats, but He’s more interested in giving us a whole new world instead.

So, let’s ride the magic carpet for a moment, and look at our world from a different vantage point. Look around at what we’ve accomplished. Look at where we’ve been. See the journey we’ve planned in our hearts. Consider life and the future. See it all with eternity in mind.

Deep in our hearts, there is an emptiness. King Solomon, the wisest and richest man of his day, wrote the verses above about eternity. He also wrote this:

I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
and this was the reward for all my toil.
Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless,
a chasing of the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun.

Ecclesiasts 2:10-11

“All vanity and striving after wind? Nothing to be gained? Those are some heavy words. But it gets worse! Solomon continued in verse 17, ‘So I hated life…”¹ Solomon had it all and he sought to satisfy himself in many ways, yet he hated life. His pursuits came up empty.

If you recognize this void in your heart, let God fill it. He reserved that empty spot for Himself. If you’re tired of searching, look closer. He’s just a reach away. Find yourself in Him. Be who He made you to be.

God can show us the world, though He probably won’t. But He can show us who He made us to be. He can fill the void and give us purpose. He knows us better than anyone can, and He sent His Son, Jesus, to reconnect us to Himself.

In the Garden of Eden, God walked and talked with Adam and Eve. He enjoyed spending time with them. Everything was good. But Adam’s bite of the forbidden fruit separated all generations from God (Romans 5:12). So, God sent His Son to pay for Adam’s sin, and every sin each of us would ever commit. Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins, but He rose from His grave and conquered death (1 Corinthians 15:20-22).

When we believe this, God sees us as sinless and we can share eternity with Him. Our emptiness is filled with His forever love, and we enjoy a whole new world today and forever.

God is reaching down to us to fill our hearts and give us a whole new world. Open your heart to receive Him.

Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

Psalm 34:8

¹(Only God Can Fill the Void, from Hunger & Thirst Devotional by Dr. Tim Clinton, November 28, 2016, https://www.drjamesdobson.org).

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If you want to know more about God’s love and how to have a relationship with Him, please email me at authordlv@att.net. You may also want to read more about God’s gift of salvation here.

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