They were introduced to ABBA by their aunt, cousin and grandmother and have been singing the songs non-stop ever since! It's been an experience for daddy! It's a good thing I like to sing and dance along! I think I would have put off their discovery of Mamma Mia! until they were a bit older though... some of the lyrics are rather ahead of their time!
"Mom, what does: 'Give me, Give me, Give me a man after midnight' mean?"
Oh boy...
On the one hand, I've had to repeatedly remind my nearly 4-year old that even if they slide down the banister and jump on the bed in Mamma Mia!, it doesn't mean that it's okay!... And on the other, my 6 year old inquisitive daughter has been dissecting the lyrics to the songs with her incredible memory, asking me about this line, and that... The movie and songs have actually sparked some great conversations with her which has been great. She's had so many questions, such as...
"Sophie is 20! She's not old enough to get married, is she?... Is she old enough to babysit?"
Then came this question:
"Mom, what does 'Don't go wasting your emotions... lay all your love on me' mean?"
I don't tend to over-spiritualize everything with my kids, but as I stopped to think about it, this is the only response that really made sense to me (though she gets that it's not really what they meant in the movie - but this is what makes more sense)...
"That's exactly what God wants us to do! He wants us to stop wasting our emotions on things like worry and fear, and instead to lay all our love on Him! When we love Him first and remember how much He loves us, then we can stop wasting our emotions on some of those other things that drain us for nothing..."
God speaking through an ABBA song? Who knew. It does jive with so many verses in the Bible though...
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." Deuteronomy 6:5
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6
Are you "wasting" your emotions? It's so easy to get wrapped up in our daily troubles and allow them to consume us... God's there calling us to lift our eyes from our "stuff" that so entangles us, and to look to Him for peace...
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
I love how our pastor put it in his sermon entitled "Worry-Less Living" in April... He called it "The Phil 4-6 Principle": Worry about NOTHING, Pray about EVERYTHING.
So easily said... I just need to remember it when it matters!
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Mamma Mia is my all time favorite movie. I LOVE your spiritual application. Makes me feel good to know ABBA has spiritually redeeming value since I listen to them A LOT!!! My favorites are Chiquitita and Super Trooper. But it changes.
ReplyDeleteI bet your girls are adorable singing to ABBA!!!
It is pretty cute to see my little French girls singing Mamma Mia - particularly the 3 year old who belts it at the top of her lungs... we always get looks and smiles wherever we happen to be when the urge overcomes her (more then once in a public washroom stall... like no one can hear her from there)! I love Chiquitita too - my favourite part in the entire movie is probably when they start singing that song - cracks me up every time!
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