“I’m Not Nothing!”

“I’m not nothing! I was never nothing! The power you have I don’t need!”
-Emma Swan ‘Once Upon A Time’

Every Sunday, this sentence comes out of my mouth at least once: “It’s Once Upon A Time Time!”

And, in tonight’s episode, in response to a dark voice in her ear, in a show of amazing restraint and power, the main character shouts those lines:

“I’m not nothing! I was never nothing! The power you have I don’t need!”

Does that stir something in you?

It did in me.

You see, I started this day with those pesky little voices in my head reminding me of my “nothingness” – edging out my “enoughness” my “goodness” and my “just rightness”.

I get those pesky little lies in my head – sometimes at work “You can’t do this. You’re not ready. You’re going to fail.” Sometimes with friends/in social settings, “They don’t really want you around. Why would they want to be your friend?”

You’re nothing. You’re worthless. You don’t really have a place to belong. The lies go on and on – even at church.

Though I am glad to be back at my home church, the last couple of weeks, I have felt a little out of place – being Single & an older “young adult” in the MidWest, it’s hard to find the right place.

And, even though I know this is my church home, I keep wondering if something would be better elsewhere. Even though I know this is where God has planted me, I keep wondering if maybe I should try to find another place, greener pastures as it were (ironically, this is partially what we talked about in Sunday School while discussing Jonah).

When I go into the Sunday School class, where I am really enjoying the teaching, I do feel out of place when I first walk in – as the oldest one in the room. Even older than one of the teachers.

It makes me momentarily forget that I have a place in the Kingdom, and that I can still grow where I’m planted. That God’s power is in me & I can serve, if I only seek out ways to do so – exactly where I am.

Sometimes, it even causes momentary amnesia that I am a daughter of the Most High God – adopted into His family through His Son. (Ephesians 1:4-7). That I was created by God, and that the works of His hand are wonderful (Ephesians 2:10; Psalm 139:14).

You know why this scene is so amazing to me?

As someone who has been a faithful viewer (and as a woman who feels the negative lies of the enemy almost daily), this scene is something beautifully empowering.

You see, Emma is central. She is the important key in this show – she has a power all her own & now, at a pivotal moment in her struggle, the darkness is against her – speaking to her as we often have voices in our head speaking to us. But:

She knows who she is, who she has always been – And, she claims it. She fights against the dark voices & stands in her own power.

I want that. When my “nothingness” threatens me, when the enemy tries to entice me with the things of this world. When he tries to convince me that I am nothing, that I am worthless, that I have no place, I want to remember that I stand in God’s power. I want that to be my reaction:

“I’m not nothing! I was never nothing! The power you have I don’t need.”

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(P.S. – I think I have now watched this scene about 20 times since it aired. Thank you, DVR!)
*Emma Swan quote from: ‘Once Upon A Time’ – ‘Nimue’ on ABC. (Sundays at 8/7c.)