PSA: “God Only Knows” and Encanto
** spoilers for Encanto **
I feel like for King & Country’s song captures the sentiments of both Bruno and Mirabel from Encanto. Every single line taps into their hurt and all the ways others have treated them differently because of their gift (or lack thereof).
“Nobody, nobody, nobody sees you
Nobody, nobody would believe you”
Still, they try to “make their family proud” and leave their “mistakes” in the past. What everyone doesn’t realize is that they’re leaving themselves in the past, too. But this is where we get to the hope (if you consider yourself a believer or follower of Christ).
“God only knows what you've been through
God only knows what they say about you
God only knows how it's killing you
But there's a kind of love that God only knows”
It’s hard to keep trying, moving, breathing when all you hear and feel is negativity. Luckily, our God is there for us and loves us unconditionally regardless of our mistakes. Even when others abandon us or treat us poorly, we can turn to God and wait for our miracle. It may not be soon, but we know that God has a purpose and a plan for each of us that’s so much better than anything we could come up with.
“God only knows the real you.”
I struggle with this constantly because I just want to be understood. I get frustrated when my closest friends or family members don’t understand me. I like to confide in people, but it doesn’t feel the same when I feel like the other person doesn’t understand me or where I’m coming from. Thankfully, God does. On the days where I feel like no one gets me, I go to God. He is always there, “just a teardrop away” (thanks, Shrek).
“You keep a cover over every single secret
So afraid if someone saw them they would leave.”
Going back to Encanto, Bruno did this with the prophecy he had on the night of Mirabel’s ceremony. Instead of someone else leaving (or his family rejecting him completely), he left. By the time Mirabel uncovers this, she’s also uncovering other family secrets and “weaknesses”. Everyone is hiding parts of themselves to avoid being seen as weak or less than. If God can love you cracks and all, so can others. Side note: some things actually need to change in our lives, so please don’t use this an excuse to not do any soul work. None of us have been, are, or will ever be perfect.
“For the lonely, for the ashamed
The misunderstood, and the ones to blame
What if we could start over?”
Finally, we see the final connection between this song and the movie. I think it’s safe to say both Bruno and Mirabel feel like lonely, ashamed, misunderstood scapegoats. They are “the ones to blame”; Bruno for his gift of prophecy and Mirabel for her lack of a gift. Yet they never fully give up despite the way they are treated by others. Bruno stalls out for a little bit as he finds refuge in Casita’s walls, but then Mirabel comes along. They understand each other, and at the end of the day, they are the ones who save the family.
When everything looks perfect, we don’t stop to evaluate it and see if it actually is. Even when the cracks start to appear, it’s easiest to fill them in rather than take a look at what’s really causing them. Of all the things this movie has taught/reminded me, it’s that sometimes we need to break down and rebuild from the ground up. This reminds me of the song “Pluto” by Sleeping at Last:
“When I break pattern, I break ground
I rebuild when I break down.”
Seriously, please listen to this song. It ties in with a lot of the same themes and feelings, but it feels hopeful. Anyways…
All this to say I wrote this because I heard “God Only Knows” on the radio last week and suddenly saw the connections between the song and the movie. I felt compelled to write this. For who, I don’t know. Maybe for someone who’s hurting or even for myself as a reminder to never give up. If you resonated with anything in this post, please know that I’ll be praying for you and hope you see the light that you carry. It may be flickering, but it hasn’t gone out yet, so hold on. You’re gonna be okay (name of another great song, this time by Bethel Music).
Rest in God’s arms and let Him comfort you while you break down. Then, when you’re ready, let Him help you as you build up. Life tends to be easier with Him as our foundation.
I would apologize for the length of this post, but I feel like these were God’s words, not mine. Plus He’s teaching me to stop saying sorry for everything so yeah. Sorry not sorry 😅❤️❤️