At the Movies: Cinderella

This afternoon, three twenty somethings and a little girl went and the new "Cinderella". We sat in a dark theater and prepared ourselves for what was about to be shown on the big screen. 

Ever since the 1950's release of the beloved Disney movie, millions of little girls have dreamed about meeting their fairy godmother, wearing a pretty dress and going to a ball where a handsome prince would whisk us off our feet into "Happily Ever After". 

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And if you say you don't, you lie. The end. 

While sitting there, I ooh'd and ahh'd over:

- the beautiful scenery

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- the horse (!!!)

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- the beautiful Lily James (her eyebrows are on point)

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- and the handsome prince (who has perfect blue eyes and teeth, by the way)

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But the perfect location, the pretty boy and amaze balls eyebrows aren't the thing that stuck out to me. In the beginning, before her mother passed away, Cinderella's mother says:

have courage and be kind

Now, that point is never going to be revolutionary or life changing to many people - because we've all heard it before, but it made my movie going experience a little different. I sat there and tried to think of things that required courage and kindness, and not just in my own life.

It takes courage to quit a job that isn't working.

It takes kindness to ignore the awful comment that someone said to you in the hallway last week.

It takes courage to sign up for the gym and to make it a habit.

It takes kindness to continue with your life after someone breaks your heart.

Cinderella, unfortunately, has her confidence, courage and kind heart shaken almost every day of her life after her father passes away. Her stepmother and step sisters are ugly, both inside and outside. They speak to her as though she's nothing. They ignore anything she offers. And they laugh. There's nothing courageous or kind about them. Yet, it's still there. 

Cinderella continues showing her heart. She keeps the house going because it was important to her parents. She is kind to all creatures, and never complains. Not once. She changes the conversation to reflect her pain in a different light.

So where does this leave us? The "little girls" of this world who have to live each day with their own version of Cinder-hell, and keep waking up each day? 

We get a choice.

We get to say "yes, world, that really sucks and I'm going to pull myself up by my boot straps and have courage. And be kind"..because that's just it. We all have terrible days. We all have moments where the ugly step sisters of this world (let's be honest, girls suck..) make you want to run away, shut everyone out and stop living. But we don't. We don't because of grace. Because there is a prince in the world who wants to take whatever crap we're going through, give us a kick ass pair of shoes (or whatever your hearts desire), and wants us to live happily ever after.

Yes, I made God into the prince charming. But it's true. Whether or not you believe in it. In Him. But simple, we get it. We get to choose whether or not we believe, but that choice doesn't reflect his love for us. We're loved no matter what.

So all, 

have courage, 

be kind 

and remember you are loved  

and deserve a happily ever after,

C