Last week I re-watched Alice in Wonderland, the 2010 film based on Lewis Carroll’s books.
I find this movie inspiring because it is about a young woman with a calling.
A calling to rise up and find courage deep within; to confront fear and doubt as she comes against the biggest obstacle of her life….setting an entire land of people free by killing the evil Jabberwocky (a fierce & enormous dragon).
But backing up a bit in the story, we find that Alice isn’t all that courageous at first. She highly doubts herself and doesn’t believe that she’s capable of such bravery and greatness. For quite a while she thinks her friends who speak of this pending greatness are confusing her with a different Alice.
At one point her friend The Hatter says to her a wonderful and thought-provoking line, “You’re not the same as you were before. You were much more… muchier… you’ve lost your muchness.”
You’ve lost your muchness.
He had known Alice as a girl when I imagine she was much more plucky; full of curiosity and free of fear. Somewhere along the way she lost that a bit.
But as she gets to know and love the people around her more, she realizes she must summon every drop of courage she has to fight for them and protect them.
So…even though she’s rather terrified, she enters into battle with resolve.
As the Jabberwocky draws near with designs to kill her, Alice–clad in armor and wielding a giant sword–has this short conversation with her friend, the Hatter:
Alice: “This is impossible.”
The Hatter: “Only if you believe it is.”
Alice: “Sometimes I believe as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
The Hatter: “That is an excellent practice.”
As Alice walks into seemingly certain doom to confront the fierce Jabberwocky, she tells herself to count six impossible things, in an attempt to stir up her courage.
She starts to list them off one by one, the first five being things that seemed absolutely impossible…but they already happened…which proves they were not impossible at all.
The sixth item she lists off? Slay the Jabberwocky.
Which she accomplishes as the beast flings her up into the air, allowing her to descend with great force upon it, cutting off its head. The evil is gone and the people are free…thanks to one courageous girl who believed the impossible.
It is quite reminiscent of David and Goliath. And afterward I have a feeling that Alice had completely recovered her “muchness”.
Why am I sharing this? Because with God even something that seems impossible is possible. And not only is God able to do the impossible in your life, He wants to accomplish these impossible things with you, through you, so He will be glorified.
One of the most powerful verses in the Bible talks about the God of the impossible triumphing while partnering with us:
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever” (Ephesians 3:20-21, NIV).
I also like how The Message says it:
“God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us.”
God can do anything on His own. But isn’t it amazing that He usually doesn’t want to do it that way? He would rather partner with us to accomplish something for His glory.
The Bible says that, as followers of Jesus, the same Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead is living in us. (Romans 8:11) Imagine that awesome, all-powerful resurrection power living inside of us!
Working within us to accomplish the impossible!
So…
+ What in your life seems impossible to overcome today?
+ What does God want you to believe is possible? Because it is possible with Him.
+ What are you waiting for?