Harold and the Purple Crayon,in theatres now, is a live-action/animated fantasy film based on the 1955 children’s book of the same name, written by Crockett Johnson.

Protecting the Gift

The book tells the story of a young boy named Harold who can make anything come to life inside the book where he lives, just by drawing it with his magic purple crayon. In the film, Harold (Zachary Levi) is now a grown man, and he has drawn a door in his book that leads to the real world. Harold and his two friends, Moose (Lil Rel Howery) and Porcupine (Tanya Reynolds), go through the door.

Magically, Moose and Porcupine are transformed into human beings. At first, the trio have a blast, testing out Harold’s crayon in the real world. But soon, reality sets in and Harold realizes that real life isn’t all about fun and games. He gets a job in a department store where he drives his co-worker, Terry (Zooey Deschanel), crazy with his constant but creative hijinks.

He meets the mysterious Gary (Jemaine Clement) who tells him that his crayon is made of the rarest, most special ingredient in the world: pure imagination. He warns him that his crayon is valuable and in the wrong hands, it could destroy the world.

Will Harold and his friends be able to protect his gift—and the world?

Drawing a New Reality

Harold’s magic crayon gave him the ability to create the exact world he wanted. He could draw any item he wanted or use his crayon to improve any situation.

If we had a magic crayon, we might be tempted to draw a big pile of cash for ourselves. Maybe a newer car, a bigger house or a better job. Maybe we’d use our crayon to change our circumstances and undo a poor decision from our past.

But we don’t have a magic crayon. We can’t simply draw ourselves into a better life. For us, real change is hard, and it takes time.

Right Time, Right Place

But God is the creator of the universe and the author of life. He spoke this world into existence. He said, “Let there be light,” and there was. He filled the land, the sea and the sky with animals, and He said that His creation was good. Then He made Adam and Eve and declared them to be very good.

When God created each of us, He placed us in a specific situation of His choosing. Each of us was born in the exact year we were born because God chose it. We were born in the specific location we were born because God selected that. We were born to the parents we have because God decided that. We were created with specific physical characteristics that God chose for us. God made these decisions for us before we were born, and we had no control over any of it.

While we might wish we could change some of those things, God had His reasons for placing us in the time and place He did. And since then, we’ve made lots of decisions—both good and bad—that have led us to where we are now. And we probably all wish we could change a few of those things, too.

We don’t need a magic crayon to draw a better life for ourselves. God designed us with a specific plan for our lives. DIANE STARK

Following the Plan

But instead of wishing for that magic crayon to rewrite certain aspects of our story, we can look for ways that God can use us exactly where we are right now.

This might mean welcoming people into our home for a meal, even if we wish we had a magic crayon to add some square footage or draw a larger kitchen. It might mean being generous with our money, even if we’d love to take our magic crayon and draw a few more zeros on our bank balance. It might mean offering encouragement to someone who’s struggling, even when we wish we could draw ourselves into a different situation.

We don’t need a magic crayon to draw a better life for ourselves. God designed us with a specific plan for our lives. He placed us in the exact circumstances He did so that we would impact specific people through our jobs, our families, our churches and our communities. We each have a role to play in God’s kingdom, and we can do that right now, exactly where we are, through intentional kindness and boldly sharing God’s love with those around us.

We don’t need a magic purple crayon to create the life God wants us to lead. We can just draw on our faith.

Photo: Columbia Pictures