God Loves Disney World

I feel closer to God when I go to Disney World.

Hey there, friends. You're probably thinking 1) will this girl ever stop talking about Disney... the answer is sadly no. And 2) that feels like a pretty packed statement.

So let's talk about it.

The other day I went to Animal Kingdom after work just to do some of my favorite things and because I hadn't been to the park since moving. Not that I don't love DAK, but it's just hot and a lot of walking, etc. So I'm walking through the park, watching Cast Members wave to guests and play with bubble wands and sell Mickey bars. I watch characters hug some sweet kiddos and live music performers dance and interact with a crowd. I go see Festival of the Lion King and get weepy (every time); and I go on the safari and think about how I could never drive a truck like these CM's do.

It makes me think of one of my favorite quotes by Walt:

You can dream, create, design, and build the most wonderful place in the world... But it requires people to make the dream a reality.

That quote hangs on the wall in the Casting building where I work. I love it because it's so true! And I love it because Walt saw the value in people.

If you've ever been to Disney, you know how beautiful the whole design of the park is. Everything has been created with excellence, down to the details that will probably go unnoticed by the general public. It amazes me because people made this. The dream, the idea came from a creative mind. More minds got to plan the logistics and build a budget; and then hands got to actually bring a dream to life. It leaves me in awe and thankful that God made us with such a capacity to create.

The environment that's been built is incredible on its own, but real magic is made by the cast members in operations. The motto or mission statement of each CM is "We create happiness." I love that. Where else can you go where happiness is so tangibly felt, seen, created? Disney would just be another amusement park if it weren't for the people who work hard to make some real life magic. People are this company's priority, their greatest asset.

Okay, I promise there was a point to this post besides a promo for Walt Disney World.

So as I'm walking through the park, thinking about how this place runs on people, I have this line from the song So Will I by Hillsong running through my head:

I can see Your heart eight billion different ways

Every precious one a child You died to save

If you gave Your life to love them, so will I

And it just hits me how much God loves people. I will never fully comprehend how much God loves, but strangely enough, Disney gives me just a beautiful picture of how people are priority. People are important. People are where His heart will always be.

I just felt so close to God walking through the park and seeing these cast members as His children. I went to the park by myself, but I never felt like I took a single step alone. It was as if He was walking right beside me, asking me to see the people that would normally go unnoticed; and to keep doing that. In my everyday... to keep seeing and loving and fighting for the ones who just need someone to share their story with. My heart became more aligned with His in these moments; and my prayer became God, give me an opportunity to love this special group of people well. Give me an opportunity to hear their stories and make sure they know how much they matter and have purpose in this life.

This is my purpose in this season. Lately I'll have mini life crises of what am I doing here, why am I here type of moments, as many twenty-something's do. But thankfully, we serve a God who can handle our big questions and mental breakdowns and life crises. Sometimes we just have to be brave enough to ask Him the hard stuff, and believe that He'll be faithful to answer.

I used to be that person that was like "I hate people," and "people are the worst," etc. But the older I get, and the closer I get to God, the more I'm learning to love people. Humanity is such a special, special part of creation. There is nothing like us, and we are each so unique from the way we look to the way our mind works. I love that I can learn more about God's heart through people.

So I guess my challenge both for myself and for my fans (<-- that's definitely a joke ok), is to zoom out to the big picture and really see people. Love them hard, and love them well. Look for God and ask Him to show up for you, and I promise He will. He shows up for me in Disney World of all places, where most people would just see long lines and sweaty crowds and overpriced hype. We get so concerned with where to find God or what His plan is... when in doubt, we can never go wrong loving the people around us. I actually think that is the whole plan and where God will always be found. Whether it's your neighbor or roommate or a people group across the world, look for Him and watch your heart start to hold more compassion, joy, patience, empathy. 

Where do you feel closest to God? Or maybe it's not a place, but a thing or person or activity? Whatever it is, do more of it and share with me! Message me or comment below... I love hearing from you!