Paw Patrol and the Church Body
Movie night isn’t as easy as it used to be. As my oldest gets older and is ready for movies appropriate for a young teen, my youngest is still young. And so choosing a movie for “family movie night” can be torture challenging.
My older kids had been waiting to watch a Narnia movie, so my youngest and I went to my room, snuggled up, and watched Paw Patrol: The Movie.
I’ll be honest: I didn’t think this movie was going to spark any deep conversations between the two of us. Turns out, I was wrong!
Towards the end of the movie, my daughter commented, “It’s cool how each dog on the team has their own special skills. Which one would you want to be?” I could’ve left the conversation then and there, but I didn’t. When their hearts are engaged, little moments like this lend themselves to discipleship.
I asked her why she thought it was good that they had different skills even though they were all on the same team - and a sweet conversation unfolded about working together as a team and how everyone has skills to offer to help each other.
But all I could think about was 1 Corinthians 12 and how God designed the church body to have different strengths, and together, when using our gifts, the whole body (or Paw Patrol team) is strengthened. And when one part is honored, the whole body rejoices with it - just like the adorable little dachshund, Liberty. (Ok, we’re a bit partial to hot dogs in this family; we have a mini-dachshund that is just the cutest thing in the world). But I digress.
So I said, “You know what’s cool? That’s actually what the church is like!” (To which she responds, “church? this movie is about dogs, mom…”) And I told her about 1 Corinthians 12 and how God gives believers spiritual gifts - something special they’re gifted in that helps build up the Church and is an important part of the Church “team.” Not everyone has the same gift, but they’re all important! God knows exactly what he’s doing - he’s such a good Creator!
Did this conversation change her life? Nope. (She replied, “Wow, that’s cool. Can I have a snack?”) But it was a sweet moment that I’m grateful we got to share. A seed was planted in her little heart about God’s design for the Church family. And I also got to model to her how we don’t just want to consume movies but that we should think about what messages they’re sharing with us and how they compare to God’s design for our lives.
Next, she wants to watch Paddington 2…and this time, we’re playing a game of Pop & Play to help us with our post-movie chat. Want to be a fly on the wall when I talk with her about the movie? Listen to the Paddington 2 Pop & Play podcast episode!
