While on Spring Break last week, Grandpa took all of the sons and grandsons to see The Lego Movie.  Just as I had heard and read, it was awesome!  As a long-time player of Legos–and even the newer Lego video games–the film certainly was an homage to the toy that has been a part of many a child’s life since 1949.  If you haven’t seen it yet, you need to!

The Lego Movie’s opening song sets the backdrop for the central theme of the movie.  Entitled “Everything is Awesome.” the first verse goes like this:

Everything is awesome
Everything is cool when you’re part of a team
Everything is awesome, when we’re living our dream

Everything is better when we stick together
Side by side, you and I gonna win forever, let’s party forever
We’re the same, I’m like you, you’re like me, we’re all working in harmony

These opening words are so catchy that someone at our family reunion broke out in song every few minutes for the rest of the week!  Yet, without spoiling the movie too much, this overly happy song is really meant to be a negative, cynical commentary on those who live according to the rules.  In the movie, the evil Lego overlord, President Business, uses the song as a controlling mantra to keep everyone “building” according to his instructions.  So in good Lego dry wit, everything is awesome when we “stick together” and when all the figures are exactly the same.  In the end, President Business wanted to make all the Lego people and Lego scenes permanently stuck together (literally) according to his plan.  Then everything would be awesome–for him!

Now I’m not suggesting that the creators of The Lego Movie intended to poke fun at Christians here, but the film and song did make me think of our culture’s prevailing view of God (the ones who believe He actually exists).  To many in our world, God is only a controlling figure (“the man upstairs”) who simply demands people do things His way as mind-numbed robots.  This God doesn’t allow freedom or encourage individuality, but only conformity–just like President Business.  So this world rightly rebels against rules and commands, and even makes heroes out of those with “free spirits” who do as they please.  All authorities are mistrusted because they just use their power to get people to do things their way.

As with most lies, this view is just a distortion or twisting of the truth.  God IS in total control of His universe, but He is also totally loving, kind, and gracious in His sovereignty.  He DOES command all people to follow His rules, yet these rules are for our good, not for our destruction.  “Sticking together” in Christ IS the only way to live this life and achieve harmony in the LORD.  Living our dream is ONLY possible when we live according to the way of our Creator.  But, while everything is NOT awesome in this life, God does work out everything for GOOD to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

So here are just a few more hilarious lyrics from “Everything is Awesome”:

Have you heard the news, everyone’s talking
Life is good ’cause everything’s awesome
Lost my job, it’s a new opportunity
More free time for my awesome community

I feel more awesome than an awesome opossum
Dip my body in chocolate frostin’
Three years later, wash off the frostin’
Smellin’ like a blossom, everything is awesome
Stepped in mud, got new brown shoes
It’s awesome to win, and it’s awesome to lose (it’s awesome to lose)

Again, these verses are meant to poke fun at brain-dead people who are just following the rules of this life without question.  There is no reason to complain because everything is awesome!  But the Christian knows that everything is NOT awesome, because we are sinners who live in a fallen world.  The truth is that GOD ALONE IS AWESOME and that being His child gives us great JOY even in this un-awesome world!