Bruce the Shark- Knowing your Enemy

I know the movies created by PIXAR are supposed to be for kids, but they can also be great vessels to be used by Christ to teach us.  It may be too far of a stretch for some, but I guess the number of years I spent as a Youth Minister has slighted me to think this way.  One of my favorites is Finding Nemo.  What a story and what a load of characters!  There are so many biblical implications strewn throughout the movie, I would hardly know where to begin.

If you have not seen the movie, Nemo’s father is wondering about the ocean, looking for his son when he first encounters a shark who calls himself Bruce.  Initially, Bruce seems to be a jolly, fish-eater in recovery. One of my favorite lines recited by Bruce and his friends is, “Fish are friends, not food.”  Although they repeat this a couple of times, you begin to notice how the sharks’ natural urges begin taking over from time to time.

You know, Nemo’s dad knew that something was not right with the whole situation.  Regardless of how the sharks talked about not eating fish and went to their little meetings, deep down, his primal urge was still to avoid Bruce and his friends.  Although the sharks were very well behaved during their meeting, especially their leader Bruce, there was one instance that brought out the true animal within. Dory eventually bumps into something, causing a little bit of her blood to be in the water.  In an instant, the primal urges consume Bruce and he once again becomes the fish-eating machine.

So what are some of the lessons you can talk to your kids about using Bruce the Shark?

1.  Although the Enemy seems ok to talk to, it is only an act! Our children will find out all too quickly that the world will tempt us with wonderful ideals that all fizzle out to become spirit-threatening predators.  Talk with your children about how prayer and discernment can alert us to the “Bruces” of life.

2.  The Blood will expose the Enemy. Notice the blood brings out the predator in Bruce.  Explaining how the Blood of the Lamb will expose the Enemy’s predator nature might save your child from potential downfalls.  For that matter, this might be a lesson some adult Christians could stand to learn.  Unfortunately, the Enemy has had many years of training in the art of deception and lies.  Helping your child understand one of Satan’s greatest ploys by using this character as an example is one of the best things we can do as fathers!

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.  – 1 Peter 5:8

If you would like more in this series, please be sure to check out the other articles in Using Movies to Witness.

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About the Writer:

Trent Cotton has spent a number of years in management and business consulting. After spending some time in the field, he joined the HR department, beginning in recruiting and eventually serving as the Department Head of HR for one of the major lines of business. With such a varied background, he works to bring all of these together to help churches and other Christian organizations incorporate some common business practices into their ministries to enable them to better serve the Kingdom. He currently works for SourcePointe, an HR Outsourcing Agency while continuing to own and operate Christian Management Consulting as a ministry. In his free time, he also writes a lot on Church Development as a Church Consultant.

As a husband and father of three, Trent Cotton has a passion surrounding the role Christian Men are to play in their families, communities, churches and businesses.  This particular blog is dedicated to helping men take back the role that we have lost in society.