Finding Nemo

We all love  Finding Nemo, mostly because Dory is so funny. But when you're treading in water that deep, there's more to see than just a little fish trying to fix a mistake and find his Dad. In the beginning, Marlin won't let anything happen to Nemo. He has him brush his fins, get double checked by Dad, and look back and forth a couple times before he goes outside the anemone. On his first day of school, Marlin won't even let Nemo go to the drop off with his class. Marlin then goes so far as to follow Nemo and gets mad at him when Nemo makes a decision that isn’t really safe. It's easy to say that Marlin is sheltering his son, that he won’t let Nemo have fun and be himself. But I look at it a little differently…

Before I tell you my side of the story, let’s look at what happens to Nemo because he decided not to listen to his Dad. When Marlin shows up at the reef and gets mad at Nemo for swimming out a little ways, Nemo decides that his Dad is full of guff and doesn't understand. So Nemo decides he knows better than dear old dad, and swims out to the boat; Nemo willingly defies his father because his father’s wishes because he thinks he is safer and stronger than he really is. We all know what happens next – Nemo is captured and ends up in a fish tank in Sydney. During the next hour or so of the movie, Marlin does all he can to look for his son. Even though Nemo willingly disobeyed, Marlin still loves him and wants him to be safe. Meanwhile, Nemo is in the dentists office, scared of what the dreaded Darla could do to him. As the story progresses, Nemo begins to understand who he really is. When he clogs the filter to save everyone, he gains confidence in himself and learns to sacrifice for others and care about other people. This is not enough to make him truly happy though. It isn’t until Nigel the pelican comes to tell him that his Dad has traveled through the ocean, fighting sharks and jellyfish, to save him. The movie continues and Nemo is saved and reunited with his Dad.

Now, what does this all have to do with us? Like Nemo, we also have a Father who cares about us and wants to protect us. At times, we may feel that his laws, rules, and commandments are too much; we think we can handle going out to sea without our Dad watching over us. We become rebellious and decide our Father doesn’t really know what he is doing because he doesn’t understand us. So we make a bad choice, we rebel, and we end up somewhere we don’t want to be. We realize we aren’t as strong as we thought we were and start to lose faith. With the help of good friends (like Gill), we start to believe in ourselves and realize we do have a way back to our Father. The way doesn’t come easily. Like Nemo, we have to try over and over again before we can make it back, but eventually we can be freed from our trials. We are also helped along our way by messengers (like Nigel) who remind us of our Father’s love and commitment to save us. When Nemo heard that his Father was trying to come save him, he found his purpose and took the final steps so he could be free. We all know that clogging the tank didn’t necessarily save Nemo like he had planned on. Returning to our Father doesn’t always happen the way we think and plan on. There are other disappointments we must face before we can finally be free of our “tank”. However, there is always a way to get back to our Father.

When Nemo was finally home and safe, things had changed. Marlin was no longer as protective as he had been at the beginning of the movie. He no longer had the strict rules. You could say that Marlin learned his lesson to not be so protective and to let Nemo make his own choices. But again, I see things a little differently. Marlin noticed how much Nemo had grown during his time away from home. He was no longer the little kid who didn’t understand, because he had learned from his mistakes and wasn’t going to make the same mistakes again. So, Marlin didn’t have to be so strict. As Nemo learned and became more responsible, Marlin could trust Nemo to make the right choice. Likewise, as we learn and grow, we are also given more responsibility and more freedom because we have proven to our Father that we can make good decisions and be wise.

So the moral of the story? Trust in your Father. He makes rules that may seem strict, but he has seen how the world works. He has been out of the anemone before. If you follow his rules,which do not change on a public whim, you will be safe. If you choose to disobey, you will have trials and challenges. Through these challenges, you will learn and grow and become better. With the help of good friends and “messengers”, you can safely return to your Father. And even more important, your Father will always love you no matter what choice you make. However, you will face the consequences if the choice you make is not aligned with His will and commandments.