Bewitched by Belle

“Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind. But then, one winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away, but she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, 

for beauty is found within. 

And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart, and as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast.  Ashamed of his monstrous form, the beast concealed himself inside his castle.  If he could learn to love another, and earn her love in return, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair, and lost all hope, 

for who could ever learn to love a beast?”

 Belle had no grounds for becoming a princess. Although she was considered to be the most fetching girl in her french little town, she was written to be purposefully peculiar; perhaps that’s what makes her all the more personable. What some people may not know about Belle is that she was inspired by the book character, Jo March, from Louisa May Alcott’s, Little Women. Like Jo, Belle also dreams of adventure and wistfully longs for an escape from her provincial life, more so than finding a suitable man. Did you know that Belle was the only princess that had aspirations beyond falling in true love? Instead, her romantic fantasies consisted of long rows of storybooks that lined shelves from floor to ceiling. She lived through the turning pages of books in the wonderful world of stories better told. So what deems this homely bookworm a princess, you ask? It was the moment she danced with a Beast.

When Belle’s bravery gets her entangled with a ferocious beast, she sacrificially chooses to be his captive in exchange for her father’s freedom. But even this noble act does not win her a crown. Her ballroom moment happened when she crossed the threshold of the dance floor, hand in paw, and saw the beauty under the beast. She not only radiated with beauty from within, but she also sought to find beauty within others - even in the face of a monster. 

What characterized her as a princess was the love within her heart. It was love that drew her to the palace, love that compelled her to stay, and love that led her back. She brought life to a palace of decay and awakened its dungeon with her heart’s willing exposure. Belle extended love to the unlovely, and so they lived happily ever after.

You see, the spell was broken when she loved the beast the way he was - a vile varmint. Isn’t that just the way Christ loves us? “Yet, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). This truth begs the question: what other curses might be broken by a love much stronger than any fairytale, the loving power of Jesus Christ. 

Belle, although her name in French means “beauty,” she bewitches all of us with her gracious humility, gentle bravery, and a love so sincere that sees past the fangs and the fur. Love, in this expression, is nothing short of breath-taking. Ladies, let’s take a lesson from Belle and remember that beauty is found within.

Sincerely His,

Brianna Jenelle

Awakened by Aurora

Having three spirited and imaginative older sisters, from a young age I became very familiar with Disney Princesses. These fictional heroines were the topic of our discussions, the premise of our wardrobes, and the theme of every make-believe story we ever played. We wished and even pretended to be these characters. As I reflect back on my childhood and my obsession with Disney princesses, I can’t help but ask myself why I was so captivated by their world of fantasy.

As much as I dearly admired each princess, Aurora from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, always struck my special interest. Aurora is best described as sweet, naive, playful, gentle and refined. It’s no wonder why she was so captivating. One of the reasons why I had always found her to be charming was because she was elegant. Elegance is defined as the quality of being graceful and stylish in appearance or manner. Interestingly, I recently discovered that she was modeled after the sophisticated Audrey Hepburn, an icon during the Hollywood Golden Age (1920s-1960s) and remembered today for her classy appearance.

                                      

I love Aurora because she teaches girls, and even us ladies too, that beauty is not the trendiest new fashion that shows way too much skin. It’s not layers of makeup and fake eyelashes, and it's not how outspoken you can be and the attention you can draw. Beauty is described by elegance. Beauty is cherished when it is naïve and respected when it is refined. Girls, we can look beautiful without compromising our virtues. And because we are His royal princesses, we can learn from Aurora that elegance is beauty.  

So what does this elegant beauty look like in the 21^st century? What does it mean to be a lady of graceful virtue?

If you know the story of Sleeping Beauty, than you know that Aurora was granted the gift of beauty as an infant. She was everything that the world may define beauty to be. She had the golden sunshine hair, red rosy lips, violet eyes, and fair complexioned skin. But she recognized that true beauty is not a gift granted - it’s how you choose to carry yourself with what you’re given. Let’s be awakened by Sleeping Beauty because she exemplifies the most radiant beauty – elegance.

Beauty is: eyes of an eager listener, the kindness in a smile, a hand extended to someone in need, a heart to be a genuine friend, and a mouth that speaks life and truth.

“The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman is seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. True beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It's the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows & the beauty of a woman only grows with passing years.” – Audrey Hepburn

Long before Audrey Hepburn’s day, we find in a familiar Proverb, the description of a woman of noble character who was “worth far more than rubies… and clothed with strength and dignity” (Proverbs 31:10, 25). This sounds like a woman of elegance to me!

And believe me, you can still have elegant beauty and be keeping up with the trends. Coming soon in “Current Craze” will be some fashion inspiration on how to bring Aurora’s elegance into the 21^st century!

Confidently His, 

Whitney 

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A Return to Fairy Tales

A Return to Fairytales

I don’t have the best memory, but the memories my heart and mind have filed away from my childhood (though few) remain rich in detail. I can often remember what I was wearing, what the weather was like, what I was feeling at that exact moment, the aromas, and the sounds that flooded my eager, listening ears. 

One of those memories I hold dear is from the tender age of six. It was a summer evening, and my sister and I were enjoying the final moments of sunshine by playing in the garden hose. We played in the driveway, not the grass, because we enjoyed the warmth of the sun-drenched pavement on the bottoms of our feet. I remember the cool wind that blew gently, and gave us the chills. I pointed the hose into the sky, put my thumb over the nozzle, and we pretended that it was raining. I watched my sister dance under the misty “rain,” and as the sun mixed with water, I saw that she was dancing amongst hundreds of tiny rainbows, and I was proud of that.

This memory seems insignificant at first glance, but the more I have pondered and thought about it, the more I have discovered my reason for holding it dear. I realized that as I watched my sister dance, I envied her sense of complete child-like innocence and purity, and most importantly, I wanted to protect it. 

You see, from the age of five years old, I was exposed to the massive amount of pain and reality that comes with life. I was sexually abused by my own father for ten years, and I am being honest when I tell you that I do not remember a time of complete child-like naivety in my own life. Every memory that may come close is tied to the reality of my childhood: it was not a normal one, and I needed to accept that. I try to remember the immense joy I felt during holidays with my family. Instead, I remember thinking “I hope I don’t have to visit Daddy today.” I remember weekend visits, thinking, “Maybe he won’t hurt me this time. Maybe this time will be different.” I knew what pain was, I knew that what was happening to me was wrong, and I knew it would alter the course my life was taking significantly. I was forced to grow up quickly and be responsible and strong, so I did. 

However, I decided from a young age to not let the terrible things that had happened to me break my hopeful spirit. Through everything, I vowed that I would keep a tender heart and see the best in every person. I would trust, I would love, and I would let my imagination be wild and free. I would never stop dreaming. I was able to do this because of the incredible impression that simple story books and movies had left on me: I believed in the power of fairy tales. 

No, I did not believe in the idea that our world was filled with magical creatures, Fairy-God Mothers, and pixie dust. What I believed in was the absolute hope and optimism that filled each fairy tale to the brim, and spilled over into my aching heart, and the hearts of children everywhere who needed something to put their hope in. I believed in happy endings, I believed in Prince Charmings, and I believed in dreams coming true. I had to, or else I feared I would be living in a terrible reality for the rest of my life. I thought beyond my years when I would whisper to myself at night “This will all pass. Your happily ever after is not far off.” I resonated with every fairy tale because each one began with a terrible struggle. Cinderella’s father died, leaving her in the hands of an evil step-mother and two bad-mannered, intrusive step sisters. Aurora, the sleeping beauty, is cursed by a witch who declared that before her 16th birthday, Aurora would die by pricking her finger on the spindle of a spinning-wheel. To avoid this, her loving father and mother had to give her up and place her in the care of three fairies who would protect her. Belle was bright girl who lost her mother at a young age. Her father becomes captive in the castle of fearsome beast, and Belle demonstrates her bravery by taking his place. As I pondered the stories of each of the princesses, I couldn’t help but relate to their stories in some way. I looked at my life, that began with a hideous injustice, and I couldn’t help but think, “My life is like the beginning of a fairy-tale.” Every story worth remembering has some tragedy in it, some trial that the character must pull through. For without a dispirited beginning, there can be no happy ending. Without an obstacle, there can be no ultimate victory. 

One of my favorite story-book characters is Anne Shirley, from Anne of Green Gables. What I adore about her is her ray-of-sunshine personality, her rosy outlook on life, and her ability to imagine without reserve, despite her discouraging beginning as an unwanted orphan. You will hear me refer to and quote her often. I will leave you today with her wise words that pertain to the valuable lesson that I believe fairy tales teach children: “I don’t know what lies around the bend, but I’m going to believe that the best does.”

I am passionate about fairy-tales because I am passionate about unreserved hopes, marvelous dreams, and ever-expanding faith. So, the title of this series fits well. How can we make an elated return to fairy-tales? Let’s discover that together in the weeks to come. 

All for His Royal Kingdom,

Sammie Marie