Spiritual Hiccups - Forgetting Who I Am

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
     and why are you disquieted within me? 
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
     my help and my God.  (from Psalm 42)

Last week I attended a church conference where at one point a presenter showed a clip from the animated Disney movie The Lion King.  If you've never seen the movie I'm not sure I can sufficiently set the context, but the story revolves around Simba, the cub of the lion king, Mufasa.  Simba is heir to the throne, but Mufasa's brother Scar, the villain in the story, hatches a plot in which Mufasa is killed and Simba blames himself for the death.  Simba runs away, leaving the pride to the evil rule of Scar.  In the scene I saw at the conference, others have come pleading for Simba to return, to throw out Scar before he totally despoils the kingdom's lands.  Simba resists, but with help of the wise sage Rafiki, he has a vision of his father who tells him, "You have forgotten who you are, and so you have forgotten me... Remember who you are."  (It helps if you imagine James Earl Jones speaking these lines.)

When my soul is cast down, there is often forgetting going on.  I forget that in my baptism God has claimed me and called me a beloved child.  I forget that Jesus has called me and promised to be with me always.  I forget that the Spirit dwells within me and will equip me to do all God asks.  Oh, I can remember to say such things, but deep down I have forgotten.  Deep down, I don't remember or know who I am.


Why are you cast down, O my soul,
     and why are you disquieted within me? 
Hope in God;

Hope is about the future, but it is also about remembering.  Hope comes from somewhere, and I think it comes largely from remembering.  When I forget who I am, I also forget God, much like Simba forgot his father.  But when I remember that I am beloved, called, blessed, and empowered by God, it becomes possible to look the the future, even when things are bleak, with hope.

"You are my son.  You are my daughter."  So God says to us all.  Remember who you are.  Remember.

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