Hi, there! I’m a friend of Clara’s. For the sake of privacy on the internet, you can refer to me as Courtney. I'm a teenage girl who loves chocolate ice cream, performing, reading, I Love Lucy, Disney movies, Jesus, and writing. Clara recently asked me if I would be a guest writer for Beauty in Everything, and I eagerly accepted. Her blog has really inspired me, and I’m thankful for this opportunity. I hope you enjoy!
The Servant and the Rebel
If you were suddenly left as an orphan and then treated with both verbal and emotional abuse, would you still trust in God? Would you still wake up singing a song of hope? Meet Cinderella: a young woman who lost both of her parents at a very young age. Her stepmother is known for being evil (and her stepsisters for being ugly). Because of her threatening good looks, Cinderella is forced to become a servant in her own home among her own “family”. In the 1950’s Disney film, Cinderella never says anything mean about her stepfamily. She is honest, kind, respectful, and serving. Every day, she wakes up with a purpose full of hopes and dreams and works diligently.
Cinderella is an excellent example of Jesus Christ. The Pharisees were people who plotted against Jesus, trying anything to prove He wasn’t the Messiah. Similarly, Cinderella’s evil stepmother put her in rags to take away from her beauty. Jesus is the Prince of Peace and Lord of Lords, yet he humbled Himself to become a servant for mankind. Mark 10:33 says, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Cinderella has a servant’s heart that really reminds me of Jesus’. She follows Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” In addition to this, she didn’t deserve her harsh treatment, and neither did Jesus. In fact, Isaiah 53: 9 says, “He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.”
When I was a little girl, my favorite princess was not Cinderella. She seemed too sweet and unreal. I liked the red headed and passionate Princess Ariel from The Little Mermaid much more. In this Disney movie, Ariel is a mermaid with a desire to become human, even though her father, King Triton, specifically orders her not to go near them. The desire being too much, she seeks out the evil Ursula, a sea witch octopus. In their meeting, Ursula agrees to turn her into a human for three days. If Ariel kisses her human crush, Prince Eric, before the end of the third day, she’ll permanently be human. However, if she is unsuccessful, her life belongs to Ursula. Unfortunately, Ariel fails, and the octopus drags her back into the ocean. Because Ariel legally belongs to the sea witch, her father can’t save her with his magic triton. Finally, Ursula agrees to give Ariel her freedom in return for the King’s power- and his life. Hesitantly, he complies in return for the safety and freedom of his princess.
There are some obvious differences between Cinderella and Ariel. For example, Cinderella respected her stepmother and worked with a faithful heart. Ariel, on the other hand, disobeyed her father and was merely concerned about achieving her lifelong dream of being human. In the movie, Cinderella sang joyful songs of contentment and hope to her animal friends. Ariel sang of wanting more, even when her friend, Sebastian, sang, “The seaweed is always greener in somebody else’s lake."
Now before you start hating the little mermaid, consider how our actions are very similar to hers. I know I’ve rebelled against God, sinned, and compromised for things I thought would make me happy. Similar to how Ariel’s father gave his life, our Father gave His, and by no means did we deserve it. Romans 3:23 makes that clear: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Just like the mermaid, we’ve disobeyed our Father. But there’s redemption. Even though we’ve messed up, our sins are forgiven, thanks to a merciful and loving Savior. Titus 3:5 says, “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.”
Through Cinderella and Ariel we can take a peek at how to live life as a princess- a princess of God. A follower of Christ should strive to be like Cinderella: having a pure and innocent beauty, a servant’s heart, a loving attitude, and being full of joy, peace, and hope. Ariel’s story is a reminder that although we’re princesses, we’re not perfect, but our Father in heaven most certainly is.
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