I used to enjoy walking into a home of peace and quiet. Since the film Frozen premiered, I have lacked this simple pleasure. Its soundtrack seems to play on a continuous loop every day throughout our home.

I guess that’s part of the price to pay for having two small children. As a glass half-full kind of guy, however, I’ve tried to find the positive message in my children’s obsession with this particular film. Aside from its beautiful music and cinematography, it does convey profound truths. 

Should We All Let It Go?

On the surface, the overriding message seems to be “Let it go.” In other words, be true to yourself. Follow the passion lying deep in your heart.

But this interpretation ignores the events of the film. When Princess Elsa does “Let it go,” she unleashes her power to make everything frozen and almost destroys her country. When she thinks only about herself, others suffer.

Love Means Sacrifice

The deeper lesson is the connection between love and sacrifice. The true hero of the film, in my humble opinion, is not Elsa. It is her sister Anna.

Anna begins as the playful younger siblings. She is flummoxed when her sister seems to ignore her, unaware of Elsa’s fear of using her powers too capriciously.

She yearns for companionship and falls for the handsome and seemingly honorable Prince Hans. In the end, however, Hans seeks only to gain power for himself. He plans to kill Anna and blame Elsa.

Anna stops him by risking her own life to protect Elsa’s, and this sacrificial act of love saves the kingdom. It also saves Elsa, who realizes love is the key to controlling her power. The two sisters and the rest of the kingdom live happily ever after.

Putting it all together, we have three key spiritual truths.

1. Appearances deceive: Prince Hans seemed like a responsible loving leader. Yet, he nearly succeeds in murdering Anna and Elsa and taking over their kingdom.

Elsa also seemed like a rude and aloof sister to Anna. Yet, Elsa acted this way because she did not want to hurt her sister, not because she did not love her.

2. Letting it go can be dangerous: Despite the beauty and catchiness of the song, “Let it go” is not a lesson for living. It is a recipe for chaos if we let it go too far.

3. Love wins: A prince does not kiss the princess and save the day. Rather, a sister puts herself in harm’s way to save another life. A sister learns that power can only be used wisely when we love those we serve.

When love wins, we all live happily ever after.