Controlled by a slug

I am often surprised at how Studio Ghibli manages to hit it on the nose. Today as I re-watched Spirited Away for the first time since blockbuster rentals shut down, I was again amazed at how they make a pointed relation between the characters and we everyday humans who cannot turn into dragons. In the movie Haku (the secondary main cheractor) becomes sick and (through a magical medicine) ends up coughing out a black slug. When the slug comes out the old man that is there says how no one knew where the boy had come from, he had just showed up one day, but claimed he could never go home. Then the witch got ahold of him and made him her henchman, after that his skin turned pale and his eyes grew steely. Isn’t that just like us? How often have we wondered from our home? From our God, And found ourselves feeling we could never go back? How often have we been taken by evil and had a black slug planted in us, the slug could have many names; hate, jealousy, pride, guilt, shame, so on and so on. Suddenly we are controlled by a witch who yanks us about and forces us to do their will, but we tell ourselves that we can’t go home. How badly we need the healing medicine of Jesus’ love to wrench the slug out of our hearts so we can be free again. He is waiting for us to come to Him and ask for him to heal us, but we have to be the ones to turn to him. Jesus isn’t afraid of your black slugs. He isn’t disgusted by what they have made you do. He loves you. He wants you back home. Turn to Him and go home.