I don’t think I’ve really enjoyed an animated movie since Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’, and I am definitely not a fan of anime or Japanese caricature,  but when I started to watch ‘Arrietty’ in the wee hours of a Monday morning, I felt compelled to watch to the end.  That was a few months ago and I am now compelled to share my reflections from that film.  No, this is not a movie review; I am not a film critic.

Arrietty and her family are tiny people; they never grow more than four inches tall, they live secretly hidden among humans in the walls and floors of homes.   They call themselves borrowers because they “borrow” from these households items they need to survive and only take things they think humans won’t miss, like a cube of sugar or a clothes pin,-Arrietty’s signature hair ornament.  There may be a few dozen Ariettys living under my floor boards, there is no other explanation for my dwindling clothes pin count but, that’s a different story.

On her first borrowing mission with her father, Arrietty discovered what her father told her was a house that the humans built for their dolls.  The house was handmade and every single item was perfectly designed and crafted for people their size.  What was even more impressive, all the items in the house were fully functional, the stove worked, the fireplace gave heat!  Arrietty was stoked with excitement, she was in awe of this place and lamented on what a perfect home it would make for her family.  Her father implored her not to remove anything from the “doll house” because the humans would miss it as they treasured their dolls.

Arrietty’s life changed when she is discovered by the little boy living in the home on this first borrowing.  The family goes into survivor mode and starts planning to relocate to maintain their anonymity.  They were convinced their discovery would lead to their demise and they were determined to ensure the survival of their kind and so their adventure unfolded.

What we  learned later was that what Arrietty’s father thought was a doll house was a home the human patriarch on whose property they lived had designed and created by hand for them to live in.  He had discovered the little people and longed to commune with and care for them, so he made preparations and waited for them to come.  But they remained hidden and lived a life of limited means far less than the inheritance that was awaiting them.   There, in the wee hours of a Monday morning it hit me!  How alike we humans are to Arrietty and her family-‘tiny people’.

We have a great Patriarch, the God of all creation who has not just prepared a place for us for eternity John 14:2  but has in His will for us a perfect design for our lives tailored for our good and His glory; Matt 6:33, Ephesians 2:10,   Joy fills my heart when I read promises such as Luke 12:32.

Sometimes I get anxious about my life; the plans I have, desires yet to be fulfilled, demands on my time, emotions and pocket….,but I am reminded by the Holy Spirit that God who designed every intricate detail of the universe has me etched in the palm of His hands, and to Him I am of more value than many sparrows.  He knows everything I need even before I ask and yes He desires to give me the Kingdom! Even the difficult things in life are within His control and can bring us good and Him glory!   Consider Joseph, Job, David, Jacob; woven throughout scripture we find testimonies of adversity and triumph and God’s hand in it all.

Unlike the story of Arrietty, our patriarch did not just build us an inheritance and wait for us to come.  He sent His only son to rescue us from our sins, to suffer in our place in exchange for a place in His royal family; Ephesians 1:5.  And even when we continue to live below the standard he has set for us He doesn’t just leave us, but sends His Holy Spirit to relentlessly pursue us 2 Peter 3:9.

Like Arrietty and her family, will we continue to be blinded by our fears and miss the riches available to us? Ephesians 1:3, Philippians 4:19  Will we pursue the acquisition of things that won’t satisfy and still end up living below the means of our Heavenly Father who desires to give us the Kingdom?