Spiritual Gift and Love — the Unexpected Lesson from Encanto

Encanto is an animated movie by Disney that came out in late 2021. Even if you have not watched this movie, chances are you have heard about its extremely popular soundtrack, which includes hit songs like “We don’t talk about Bruno.” The movie is about the Madrigals, a Colombian multi-generational family who lives in an enchanted neighborhood called Encanto. When I watched the movie, I went in with no expectations, nor was I aware of the reviews of the movie. Indeed, the intention here is not to review it, but rather, to discuss a very surprising realization I had while watching it a second time with my family, one that links this movie to my Christian faith.

The story follows the Madrigal family, who were blessed with a magical candle when the matriarch of the family, Abuela (which literally means “grandma” in Spanish), lost her husband, Pedro, as he tried to stave off attackers during a period of unrest. Left all alone with her triplets, the magical power of the candle miraculously changed the landscape of the region, granting her and others a secluded haven from the attackers. It also created an enchanted house, Casita, for the Madrigal family to reside, as well as blessing each child of the Madrigal family with a unique gift, many of which were used to serve others within the community.

Before we go into the detailed plot of Encanto (spoiler alert!), the premise of the movie was already ringing all sorts of bells in my head. A family of people with special gifts, who resides in a magical house established and maintained by a power not from themselves, after Pedro, Abuela’s husband, sacrificed himself? Doesn’t it sound so much like the Church, a house of God inaugurated by the sacrificial love of Jesus, where all of us brothers and sisters in Christ are blessed with spiritual gifts by the Holy Spirit? While Pedro was certainly not Jesus, and there was no mention of the source of the magical power in the movie, the parallel was quite remarkable in my mind. In fact, as the story unfolds, the parallel continues to widen, which unexpectedly makes Encanto an interesting tool to illustrate the struggles many of us face while trying to manage and exercise our spiritual gifts in the body of Christ.

The burden of giftedness

The movie revolves around Mirabel, the only child of the Madrigal family not given a gift. This of course was difficult for Mirabel, but it was also a scar for Abuela, for the magic was how she was given a second chance in life after losing her husband all those years ago. When Mirabel didn’t receive a gift during her Gift ceremony, it sparked fear in Abuela’s heart that they were losing the magic. In addition, since giftedness had come to define the Madrigals and people in town relied on their gifts for many things, Mirabel’s lack of a gift also prompted Abuela to see her as a lesser member of the family, because she was not “useful.”

But this does not mean that the gifted ones have it easy. This is seen in Mirabel’s sister, Luisa, who was granted superhuman strength. In the movie, we see the tremendous pressure she was under, always running around to help everyone in the village, because deep down, she wondered if she would still be considered worthy if she could no longer live up to everyone’s expectations.

(Image: Disney)

I think many of us can relate to the Madrigals when it comes to our spiritual gifts. As Paul explains in 1 Cor 12, all of us who have been born again in Christ are given spiritual gifts by the Holy Spirit, so that we can use them for the common good (1 Cor 12:7) and build up the body of Christ (Eph 4:12). What God has intended is a beautiful picture—all of us using our personal manifestation of the Holy Spirit, who lives in us, to serve one another, and as one body, be a testimony of Christ in this world.

Yet just like what was illustrated by the movie, there is danger lurking around, threatening to destroy God’s plan for His Church. The challenge with spiritual gifts is that there are different kinds of gifts, but some are much more visible or seemingly more “useful” than others. Paul reminds us that there are no better gifts, because behind it is the same Spirit, same Lord, and there is only one body, where each part is equally essential  (1 Cor 12:4-6; 12-26).

Despite Paul’s reminder, however, we are often tempted to compare and compete, which then leads to tension and conflicts. Sometimes we feel like Mirabel, thinking that we are the gift-less or less gifted ones among a bunch of gifted brothers and sisters (although the end of the movie appears to indicate that Mirabel did actually have a gift. It simply wasn’t visible or clearly defined early on like the others). Sometimes this sense of inferiority is heightened by an overemphasis on giftedness or abilities in the community. Abuela was certainly instrumental in creating this atmosphere, due to her conviction regarding their identity as the gift-bearers, combined with the fear of letting others down. 

Yet when we allow our value to be defined by our gifts and abilities, it is a dangerous situation. Despite being so diligent in using her gift to serve others, Luisa was terrified of feeling useless when her gifts started fading in the movie. So, on one hand, we have the “less-gifted” members feeling useless and insignificant. But even the gifted ones, whom we think should feel assured and valued, were also floundering in doubt and fear, because their identity was built on gifts that may come and go.

Is that where we have rooted our identity as well? Yes, God has given us gifts, but the gifts are not supposed to define us. We are loved before we are granted these spiritual gifts—Jesus died for us when we were still His enemies. We are already loved, already valuable, already cherished before we are “useful,” because we have been valuable enough for Jesus to die for. We are God’s children not because of anything we have done, but because our Maker loves us and sent His son to die on the cross to salvage us.

Therefore as much as we have been given spiritual gifts, and it is important for us to take our gifts seriously and to serve faithfully, we must remember that we, as well as others, are so much more than our gifts. Our value is never measured by the kind of gifts we have—not even how diligent we are in using them. Rather, our value is rooted in the unchanging love of God, who chose us, called us, redeemed us, so that we can be called His children today.

This means there is no need for us to compare the gifts we have been blessed with, because none of us is greater or lesser because of it. Likewise, because spiritual gifts are granted to us out of God’s grace, we also have no reason to boast or be smug about it. We can stop defining our values based on abilities and achievements, which is the world’s way of defining us, because in the grace of God, He can help us see that we are each loved and valuable. This is a reminder that we desperately need today.

Mending the cracks in God’s house

But Encanto has also shed light on another important truth when it comes to us living as a community of “gifted” individuals—and that is Jesus’s command for us to love one another. So often, we do not realize that the blessing of spiritual gifts could impinge on our ability to love. Differences in our giftedness, as mentioned, could lead to comparison and competition, as well as differential treatment. Hidden underneath the façade of strength and capabilities are fragile self-esteem, jealousy, pridefulness, or feelings of inferiority, all of which run counter to loving one another and building each other up.

This is precisely why Paul, having spent 1 Cor 12 discussing the matter of spiritual gifts, proceeded to write the famous chapter on love in 1 Cor 13 by illustrating “the most excellent way” (1 Cor 12:31, final verse of Ch.12) when it comes to using these gifts—the way of love. Here is 1 Cor 13:1-3, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” What Paul was trying to illustrate is clear: gifts are important and amazing, but without love, it is missing the point.

Many of us know these verses, but far fewer of us grasp just how critical love is. Yet Encanto has provided an interesting illustration where the viability of the Madrigals’ magical power was seemingly tied in with their ability to love one another. Halfway through the movie, we learn that Mirabel was not only the sole “gift-less” child in the family, but she would be the key to saving the magical power that has somehow started to weaken.

The weakening magic was represented by cracks in Casita, and a dwindling flame of the magical candle. In fact, it is almost as if the source of the magic can sense tension and breaches in the relationships within the household. Cracks got worse when the conflict between Abuela and Mirabel escalated, with Casita literally falling apart when they had a fallout. But when Abuela and Mirabel finally put aside their differences, and learn to listen to each other and reconcile through love and understanding, the magic was restored.

Mirabel was the key to saving the magic because as the gift-less one, she represented what was not “lovable” or “acceptable” according to Abuela, who had come to treasure gifts more than people. Mirabel was the test that exposed the cracks in the family, the way giftedness had replaced love. But when the magic was gone, and Abuela finally saw that her overemphasis on gifts was hurting Mirabel and her family, it was Mirabel’s big heart and a willingness to forgive that enabled them to truly reconcile when Abuela came with a sincere apology.

Mirabel was the key to saving the magic and her family because she chose love, understanding, and reconciliation. So even though Mirabel did not get a gift at the beginning of the movie, we saw that she did have a gift, namely her ability to bring back the magic, which only became visible at the end of the movie. She reminded everyone that love was more important than gifts, and a willingness to work together was more precious than abilities.

Have you also noticed cracks in God’s house? Have you noticed the way we have not been loving one another—seen in favoritism, stonewalling those we do not like, or a refusal to honestly communicate, listen, and reconcile? We somehow thought that if we continued to be faithful with our service, that we continued to use our gifts, it would be just fine and God will still be pleased. But we are grieving God and adding cracks to the house of God. Yes, it has not fallen apart as Casita did in the movie, but that is only because our faithful God has sustained His own Church through His grace and power. 1 Cor 13 reminds us that if love is not there, if we are not exercising our gifts with the intention to love and build each other up, we have achieved nothing, even if we have displayed tremendous faith or have obtained remarkable success in our ministries. We might have been given gifts, but when there is no love, we are only getting in the way of the Holy Spirit, the one who truly brings everything to fruition.

So what are we going to do about the cracks in God’s house? Will we choose to be honest and vulnerable, and take a step to mend the cracks in our relationships, instead of pretending that everything is fine? Will we ask our most gracious God to show us how we can root our identity in His love, instead of what we can do or the kind of gifts we have, so that we can give our insecurities and our competitive hearts to God? Only when our eyes are fixed on God, when we understand how treasured and loved we are, will we be able to truly exercise our gifts with love. This is because what we do will finally be done in response to God’s love, an overflowing of His grace in our lives. May this be our prayer today.

“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

1 Peter 4:8-11

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