The King's Speech: St Paul and "The Call"

The King's Speech is a film of unmasking, disillusionment, and triumph. It shatters the flawless facade of the monarchy and gives the viewer real sensitive insight into the struggles of humanity that even the media-altered ruling class are not exempt from. The entire story is a reminder that even kings have strengths and weaknesses. The thread of this film inverts the all too common habit of dehumanizing notabilities to the point of detachment and disconnect. Interestingly, we sometimes find ourselves with this same dilemma of overly detached veneration in regards to Jesus' Apostles. Just as we find royalty unrelatable, so too do Christians often "make our saints into statues" by building them up to be perfect gods and forgetting about the inevitable imperfections of our shared humanity. The message of "the King's Speech" can be applied to our perspective on the apostles and serve as a reminder that God does not call the qualified, but rather, qualifies the call.

Funnily enough, St Paul the Apostle may have had one very important thing in common with Albert from "The King's Speech". Due to certain mentions in the Bible, some scholars have speculated that St Paul too had a speech impediment. That's right- The apostle who traveled all over Asia speaking the word of God and who is responsible for 13 books of the New Testament may have had a disability that noticeably impaired his public speaking abilities. 2 Cor 10:10 reports of St Paul's presentation that "his letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible". St Paul also gives mention to a "thorn in (his) flesh" (2 Cor 12:7) which many have hypothesized to be referring to a disability such as a speech impediment or even epilepsy. Later on in the same book (2 Cor 12:9), we find the passage that is central to understanding St Paul's mission and the key to gleaning the deeper theme from "The King's Speech":

"And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Just as the therapist was able to help the King to overcome his disability to serve his country, so too did God give St Paul everything that was needed for him to cope with this "thorn in his side", whatever that may have been. In fact, if you look at all of the other saints and apostles, you'll find a record of mistakes and brokenness. A history of humanity. From prostitutes to tax collectors, again and again we see God calling often the least qualified for his greatest tasks. Seeing how God worked through the seemingly least qualified around him meaningfully reflects back to the story of Albert and the apparently impossible call of duty from his country. In the end, it is this precise "perfection out of weakness" that we hear from St Paul that is the reason Albert overcomes his disability at all. One could speculate that if the monarchy had not been thrust upon him, he never would have given Lionel Logue the chance to try such outlandish tactics and would never have overcome his weakness at all. In the film, we see Albert struggle with and resist Logue's shenanigans and methods until his unceasing disability and change of circumstances makes him desperate enough to resign enough stubbornness to give the man a chance.

The Bottom Line:

Whether our weakness is a speech impediment like King George VI (and St Paul?) or something entirely different, God does not expect us to "qualify" ourselves. He never intended for us to go at it alone, and He will never give us a call that we are too weak and broken to answer. It is precisely in our weaknesses where his "power is made perfect". In fact, He asks us to "glory" in our weakness; and there is no telling just how great and good this glory may be once the Power of Christ overshadows us! In the story of "The Kings Speech", we see our humanity re-illustrated in a way that serves to inspire much in the same was as St Paul's life. Just as kings and apostles are not flawless, neither need we be in order to follow Him. Albert didn't have much choice in his call. He realized that he owed the service to his country with such a firm sense of duty that his response, though seemingly impossible and frightening, could not waver. If we can only learn to respond to Christ's call, no matter how difficult, as Albert did for his country, then we may just have found another lesson of sainthood from the silver screen.