... or so says Rumpelstiltskin in this week's episode of "Once Upon A Time". This installment gives us an alternate version of the Cinderella story. In it, Rumpelstiltskin kills her fairy godmother and steals the godmother's wand. A desperate Cinderella begs him to help her get free of the life she hates. He warns her that magic has a price, but she signs a deal with him anyway, not knowing the full details of the price she will pay. He waves the wand and she's dressed for the ball, complete with the glass slippers. Later, once she has married the prince, Rumpelstiltskin appears and lays claim to her first born child. This, of course, sets up the crisis in Storybrooke, where Emma tries to save a pregnant Ashley Boyd (Cinderella) from the clutches of Mr. Gold (Rumpelstiltskin). Emma winds up making her own deal with Mr. Gold (again without knowing the full details of what he will require from her)... no doubt to the sound of viewers shouting "Don't do it!" (or was that just me?)
I wasn't really sure where to go with this blog until I remembered a text I received while watching the episode Sunday night. My friend Heather loves the show as much as I do. If we were in the same state, we would probably get together to watch it. But because she's in Oklahoma and I'm in Pennsylvania, we "watch together" via text message. This week, Heather started the conversation with "Are you loving the dresses in this episode as much as I am? They're soooo preeetttyyyy!" I laughed and responded that she was such a girl, but yes, the dresses were gorgeous. Then yesterday, the "Once Upon A Time" Facebook page posted a link to "fairy tale makeup looks". They asked, "Is there a princess in you waiting to be unleashed?" What a question! Isn't it the dream of every girl and woman to be able to answer "yes" to that question?
Both things (Heather's comment about the dresses and Once Upon A Time's question) got me thinking about why we love fairy tales, especially the story of Cinderella. It all comes back to one thing: beauty. Every fairy tale heroine is beautiful, both inside and out. Some of them are aware of it (although not in a conceited way), but Cinderella is not. Trampled on by her stepmother and stepsisters, Cinderella has come to believe that she could never capture the attention of any man, let alone the prince. How many of us women have struggled with the same belief? I know I have... and still do. And even if we do begin to believe that we are beautiful, we struggle with knowing how to reveal it. We long for an invitation to a ball, a chance to dress up in those fancy dresses and get our hair done, a chance to reveal our beauty. If you ever watch girls preparing for school dances (like homecoming or prom) or a bride preparing for her wedding day, you'll get a glimpse of what I'm talking about. We long for that moment when we can look in the mirror and say, "I feel beautiful."
The problem arises when we're willing to make deals to reveal our beauty. In the real world, you could take Rumpelstiltskin's saying and replace the word 'magic' with the phrase "the easy way"... The easy way has a price. And yet, in our desperation to be seen and known as beautiful, we will choose the easy way without any comprehension of the reality of the consequences. We spend all our money on the latest fashions; we spend hours in hair salons trying to find the perfect look; we peruse the internet in search of makeup tips; we diet and exercise to extremes. Or we give up entirely and pretend the desire for beauty doesn't exist. Either way, the result is a woman unable to live in the truth of her beauty as created by God. She pays the price of her joy and her peace, spending her life either despairing her unfulfilled desires or striving to maintain something over which she feels she has no control.
Reality is, ladies, we're all beautiful! Both inside and out. I know this because we were created in the image of a beautiful God. Let Him reveal to you your beauty. It may not be easy. There may be some pain as you deal with old wounds. But His promise is to bind the broken hearts, to bring healing. And then let Him guide you in revealing your beauty to the world. Your beauty is meant to be sought, pursued, and found by those willing to take the time to do so. Don't give it away. Don't settle for the easy way. Be patient. Wait on Him. He has a prince in mind and a ballroom moment in which you can reveal your beauty. But don't forget that the prince still had to search for Cinderella after the ball... she had to be sought, pursued, and found... and so do you.
No comments:
Post a Comment