Scar, Shame, and the Second Temptation

 

    I have always enjoyed the movie "The Lion King" and have often had chance to listen to and enjoy the music. The heartache and redemption in Simba's journey make it one of my favorites. In reading Sister Runia's recent general conference talk, I found a lesson from the movie that I thought I would share here.    

    At one point, shortly after the death of Mufasa, Scar shamed Simba into thinking that Simba was responsible for the death of the king. He then told Simba to run away, to hide. This is similar to what Satan does to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. After getting Adam and Eve to partake of the fruit of the tree of good and evil, Satan tells Adam and Eve to hide. Sister Runia talks about repentance and how Satan seeks to shame us when we make a mistake and encourage us to hide. Elder Whiting talks of what he calls “the second temptation” which is hiding ourselves after we sin. Just as Scar was not seeking to help Simba by telling him to run away, Satan is not trying to help us when telling us to hide. The Savior suffered all things for us in the garden and on the cross, but he is not suffering now except when we don’t use His power. 

    Repentance has become a favorite part of the doctrine of Christ and of the gospel of Jesus Christ since I heard President Nelson talk about it in April 2019.

 “Too many people consider repentance as punishment —something to be avoided except in the most serious circumstances. But this feeling of being penalized is engendered by Satan. He tries to block us from looking to Jesus Christ, who stands with open arms, hoping and willing to heal, forgive, cleanse, strengthen, purify, and sanctify us.The word for repentance in the Greek New Testament is metanoeo. The prefix meta- means “change.” The suffix -noeo is related to Greek words that mean “mind,” “knowledge,” “spirit,” and “breath.”Thus, when Jesus asks you and me to “repent,” He is inviting us to change our mind, our knowledge, our spirit —even the way we breathe. He is asking us to change the way we love, think, serve, spend our time, treat our wives, teach our children, and even care for our bodies.Nothing is more liberating, more ennobling, or more crucial to our individual progression than is a regular, daily focus on repentance. Repentance is not an event; it is a process. It is the key to happiness and peace of mind. When coupled with faith, repentance opens our access to the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”

 

    I get it, Simba would not have met Pumbaa and Timon and discovered his love for grubs if he wouldn’t have run away but he also wouldn’t have suffered the shame of thinking he had killed his father. Similarly for us, we when make mistakes and sin, as we all do, let us take the advice of Sister Runia and when Satan or the negative voice inside your head tells you to run away or hide, say “Not today Satan!” And turn to the one who stands with open arms to receive and help you, Jesus Christ.