“And the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film goes to...'The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.’” I applauded. The film, created by Matthew Freud, is based on the book by Charlie Mackesy, a book that, quickly upon purchasing it two years ago, became one of my favorites.
Mackesy’s book contains simple yet profound sayings accompanied by drawings of an oddly-compatible gang of travelers who, in their conversations,
point to our deepest longings, and…
pull us toward becoming better humans.
Read these examples and just try not to smile, or cry:
“Don't measure how valuable you are by the way you are treated.”
“The love inside you is as big as the universe.”
“Who am I?” asked the boy.
“You are loved,” said the horse.
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” asked the mole.
“Kind,” said the boy.
“What is the bravest thing you’ve ever said?” asked the boy.
“Help,” said the horse.
“What do you think success is?” asked the boy.
“To love,” said the mole.
Where did Charlie Mackesy get such inspiration?
"Jesus quietly introduced me to a journey into finding people really beautiful, which is how my art really began," he said. "Because I felt inside me he was going, 'Look. How beautiful is that guy sitting on that bench?' And I would have never noticed him before.”
Mackesy is a spiritual person - a Christ follower. He follows a different Christ than the one presented to him in his youth. Can you relate to that?
Mackesy has a profound belief in a Jesus that he is quick to declare was kept from him by a judgemental Church that screamed STOP STOP STOP and laid upon people guilt and shame, instead of love.
Mackesy explains it with this illustration: Once, while in Romania, he was offered some tuna. Outside the tin was the word CRAP. Mackesy rightfully says that the outside would put you off and as a result you might miss the glorious wonder of the taste inside.
The Church can look like, smell like CRAP when it does not reflect the spirit of inclusion and the priority of love.
Mackesy uses his art as a way to connect people to the God who is Love. His conversion was based on the concept that every human being is beautiful and held and known.
Read that last line again: “Every human being is beautiful and held and known.”
In the words of the horse to the boy, “Always remember you matter. You’re important and you are loved and you bring to this world things no one else can.”
That’s the message of Love. That’s the message of The Venues.
With your support, we get to support our community!
Thank you for giving to The Venues!
Download the Church Center App! Check your profile, update your information, check in your kids, and stay connected with all that's happening at The Venues! App Store Download Google Play Download
