Anna and the King

As I sat down this evening to watch “Anna and the King”, I was simply expecting an excellent movie experience, nothing more. What I got out of this movie is so much more than simply another nice story.

Anna is the widowed English Schoolteacher who is hired by the King of Siam to teach his children more about western culture. It sounds simple enough but the story is anything but simple. We come face to face with the differences between Western and Eastern cultures in this movie. We see the King with his many wives and concubines, his 58 children, his religion…Buddhism, and his tolerance of slavery. Then we see Anna…the schoolteacher who hated slavery and torture, who had only one husband and who was the embodiment of all things English. At one point, we see her reading her Bible so we can also assume a Christian upbringing. What transpires in this story is nothing short of a miracle…these people come from different worlds and yet through patience and understanding come to not only understand each other but, in the end, love each other.

Please don’t misunderstand me here….I don’t believe that slavery and torture is right. I am however drawn to the story of this woman and this man who lived so long ago. We’re their lives easy….not a chance. Did they say things that they regretted? Most definitely. But within this story, I got a glimpse of what I think Christ meant when he said “love your neighbor as yourself”. Anna got into the Kings world, and he into hers. They strove to understand each other in spite of their upbringing and prejudices.

How often do I get into my neighbors world? Do I try to see them not through my eyes, but through His? Why is this such a hard thing for me to do? I look across the street and see a loud boisterous family who drink too much or fight to much. I don’t get them…but seriously, am I supposed too? OR am I to love them, drinking problems and all?

Christ calls us to love HIM and to love others. There is a verse that states…any man can love those just like him, even the unsaved do this, but a man who is following God should love the man who is their enemy. Wow! Big words. Am I up to the challenge? Are you up to the challenge? I would love to hear what you think…