At the movies: Inside Out 2

"Inside Out 2" is the much anticipated sequel its 2015 predecessor. "Inside Out 2" explores themes of growth, change, transformation, and maturity. These are all important elements of our spirituality and faith, so come and reflect on how we can grow in our relationship with Jesus!

INTRO

In the world of Inside Out, our emotions are represented by little people in our minds who run a consol that controls us.

In the first movie, we meet 11-year-old Riley and her emotions of Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger.

In the sequel, we see 13-year-old Riley and some new teenage emotions like Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui.

Let’s watch the trailer to see what happens with these new emotions.

Game

Ok, kids & adults, let’s see how good you are at naming your emotions. I’m going to slowly reveal one of the emotions from the movie and you shout it out when you think you know. The first person who gets it right gets… nothing. It’s just a silly game. Ready.

• Joy

• Sadness

• Disgust

• Anxiety

• Ennui

Ok, who got all 5 correct? 4?

Inside Out 2 Summary

In the sequel, anxiety and all its baggage take center stage. The story revolves around Riley attending a hockey camp with her best friends but also getting in with the popular girls. So, Anxiety has plenty of opportunities to run the consol.

The movie does an extraordinary job of showing what happens when we are driven by anxiety. Riley makes questionable decisions, hurts her friends, and even hates herself.

At a critical point in the movie, Anxiety causes her to change her Sense of Self from “I’m a good person” to “I’m not good enough.” And she keeps repeating it to herself: “I’m not good enough. I’m not good enough. I’m not good enough.”

It’s a heart-breaking and remarkably accurate picture of how anxiety affects our identity, which in turn, affects our actions. When we believe we’re not good enough, we start acting in ways to convince the world, and more importantly, ourselves, that we are good enough.

Bible

Riley’s story is not unique. The Bible is full of stories of people who let their anxiety run the console.

• Cain and Abel – Anxiety over sacrifices drove a man to kill his brother.

• Abraham and Sarah – Anxiety drove a childless couple to distrust God and take matters into their own hands.

• The Israelites in the Wilderness – Anxiety drove them to worship a golden calf and rebel against God.

• The Apostle Peter – Anxiety drove him to deny even knowing his rabbi and friend.

I could go on and on. Dozens of stories are all different, but they share a common truth: Anxiety paves a path away from God. Anxiety paves a path away from God.

A perfect example of this is King Saul. We’re going to look at part of his story out of 1 Samuel 13, the passage you heard in today’s Scripture reading.

Saul was the first king of Israel around 1,000 BC. The people in chapter 13 are: King Saul, the prophet Samuel, Saul’s son Jonathan, and a powerful enemy called the Philistines.

But to understand chapter 13, we have to go back to chapter 10. This chapter begins with the prophet Samuel anointing Saul as God’s chosen king of Israel. One of the things Samuel tells Saul to do is to go down to a city called Gilgal and wait for him.

8 “Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do.” (1 Samuel 10:8)

Now, fast-forward to chapter 13. Saul and his army are waiting in Gilgal. But there was a problem. Yes, the Israelites were riding high after a great victory against a Philistine outpost. But the Israelites had only 3,000 soldiers.

On the other hand, the Philistines were angry, so they brought their army… their whole army.

“5 The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore.” (1 Samuel 13:5)

This is where it gets back for the Israels. The passage continues.

6 When the Israelites saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns. 7 Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. (1 Samuel 13:6-7)

The toughest men in Israel were terrified. Now, we get to see how Saul reacts to this.

“Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear.8 He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. 9 So he said, ‘Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.’ And Saul offered up the burnt offering. 

This is where we all collectively gasp. I’m going to read that last sentence again, and you all gasp. “And Saul offered up the burnt offering.” GASP!

Saul just did something that he wasn’t allowed to do. While he was the king, only priests were allowed to offer sacrifices. He was directly disobeying God.

This was anxiety running the console. And anxiety paves a path away from God.

His men were scattering, the Philistine threat was looming, and Samuel was nowhere to be seen. His reign and even his life were on the line. Anxiety was running the console. As is the case with anxiety, this led him to make decisions to protect himself and, in so doing, disobey God.

Wait until you see what happens next. The passage continues.

10 Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.

11 “What have you done?” asked Samuel.

Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, 12 I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”

13 “You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”

When confronted by Samuel, Saul immediately made excuses—my men were scattering, the enemy was approaching, and you weren’t here. His heart was not right with God.

Anxiety leads to disobedience, and disobedience always has consequences. For Saul, God would take Israel out of his hand. His reign would end, and the throne would go to another. In this case, it would be David, whom the Bible describes as a man after God’s own heart.

Saul let his anxiety run the console. As a result, he made disobedient decisions with disastrous consequences. Anxiety paves a path away from God.

Saul continued to reign for a few more years. But the rest of his reign was marked by a gradual downfall, with more and more anxiety, erratic behavior, and sin. It was a royal living illustration that anxiety paves a path away from God.

Application

That was King Saul. What about you? How does anxiety show up in your life? When does your anxiety run the console?

• Is it when money is tight?

• Or when you get criticized? Or challenged?

• Is it with your parents or your boss?

• Is it online? Or when you’re lying awake in bed at night?

Do you even know? Some of you don’t know when your anxiety runs the console. But trust me, your spouse, kids, and your best friend know. They know because they usually become victims in the hurricane of your anxiety.

Anxiety paves a path away from God. Because anxiety fundamentally makes you self-protective.

• You can’t love another person when you’re anxious. You’re too busy taking care of yourself.

• You can’t be at peace when you’re anxious. You’re too much of a tornado of fear and control.

• You can’t be hopeful when you’re anxious. You’re too focused on worst-case scenarios.

Anxiety makes it impossible for you to live in obedience to God—because you’re living out of your lizard brain—fight or flight. Anxiety makes you entirely focused on yourself—filling your needs, comforting your fears, and building up your self-worth.

Anxiety paves a path away from God and toward survival selfishness. Unless we interrupt it, we will eagerly walk down that path, which always results in disobeying God and hurting others.

Rob Reimer, the author of Soul Care, says, “The people of God make more mistakes in times of fear than any other time. It was true for Saul, and it’s true for you.

That’s why Jesus said,

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27)

That’s why the Apostle Paul wrote,

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

Prayer Reflection

So, I want to give you time with Jesus to pray through one of these verses.