“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
No comments:
Post a Comment