Up next on the blog is Cinderella! Now, Cinderella is a classic written on the hearts of every young girl. The chances are most ladies have probably seen this movie in at least three different versions. But it never gets old. For the purposes of this blog, my kids and I watched the 1950s Disney classic Cinderella.
Since I am pretty sure everyone knows this movie, I am going to skip the movie recap and just give you my thoughts on the Christian parallels.
Once again- we have our princess. But this princess, we can all relate to. She’s not a princess yet. She’s just an everyday girl. The movie shows that her dad remarried when she was young to a woman with two daughters her age. But after her father’s death, her stepmother’s true colors showed.
Cue the evil characters- her stepmother and stepsisters. Oh and of course, Lucifer. The writers didn’t even try to hide that parallel for you. Cinderella was cruelly turned into a servant and abused by her jealous stepmother and stepsisters. However, this beautiful young lady remained simply lovely and positive through it all. Her stepmother and stepsisters are constantly making demands and yelling at her. Yet, Cinderella responds in love and serves with a smile.
We learn early on in the movie, Cinderella has hope in a dream that she has. Though she will not tell what that dream is, this dream/wish gives her the motivation to carry on in love towards everyone around her no matter how poorly they treat her.
I think that is what I like about this movie. Prince Charming is not like our other princes. He doesn’t sweep in, break a spell, slay a dragon, or anything like that. He is simply the prince. He is the representation of hope.
Maybe that is why the scene in the garden spoke so clearly to me. Here is where Cinderella almost lost hope. After her stepsisters destroyed the dress her animal friends lovingly made for her, she cried in the garden stating she lost hope. Then her fairy godmother shows up. She tells her she clearly didn’t lose all hope, or she wouldn’t be here. She also states that even miracles take time.
I can’t help but take myself to the hill in my backyard. When I thought I had lost all hope. And for the first time in my life, I asked the very real question, “God if you are real…” And in that instant a miracle began to happen. My life began to change. But even miracles take time. I am still a work in progress.
So, the next thing about this particular scene that I love is how the fairy godmother makes this dream come true. Obviously, Cinderella thinks she needs a dress. But she starts with a pumpkin? Say What! But we see her turn a pumpkin into a carriage. Then obviously we need a horse, but the fairy godmother skips over the horse and chooses the mice to be turned into horses to pull the carriage. And the horse to the driver and the dog to the coachman. It’s all so lovely. She sees a big picture using characters in places they never would have chosen for themselves.
God does that to us today! He can turn that mess into a message, a test into a testimony. He doesn’t just see what’s in front of you, but all that is and was and is to come. He sees it all. And once you allow Him to perform a miracle in your life, He will put you in places you never dreamed. I speak from experience. When I tell people who I am, there is not one of those titles that I had planned for myself seven years ago. But nothing else I’d rather boldly proclaim- God is so good! He can do so much more than we ever imagined.
So, Cinderella is off to the ball in a miraculous way. And guess what? No one, not even her stepmother and stepsisters recognize here. Transformation does that. You are no longer who you once were. Once you begin to walk with Christ, your actions change. Your motives change. Your desires begin to align with His. Slowly, people who once thought they knew you are trying to get you back into that room they created for you. They’d rather lock you up to rot than let you shine in your rightful place. Instead of being happy that Christ is doing a new thing in you, they are consumed with jealousy and hate.
Interesting enough, when Prince Charming and Cinderella share their dance, they sing, “So this is love.” Here are the lyrics, “So this is love, Mmmmm. So this is love. So this is what makes life divine. I’m all aglow, Mmmmmmm. And now I know. The key to all heaven is mine. My heart has wings, Mmmmm. And I can fly. I’ll touch ev’ry star in the sky. So this is the miracle that I’ve been dreaming of. Mmmmmm. Mmmmmm. So this is love.”
Love here is described as divine, heaven, miracle. I am fully convinced that the writers were not trying to hide these Christian parallels. True love is divine and heavenly. It’s instant too. The Heavenly Father created you in His image with the intent to have a relationship with you.
Here’s something else I really liked. Once Prince Charming chose Cinderella to be his bride, no one cared about anything other than getting her to fulfill that role. The king, the prince, the duke, and all of the kingdome wanted to find out who she was for the prince. So that they could unite them.
Who was she? Where was she from? What was per past? No one really cared. She was a servant. So what, the prince chose her. She was an orphan. So what, the prince chose her.
What if she had been a sinner? A liar? A cheat? A gossip? A prostitute? A victim of abuse? A scared child on the run? None of it would have mattered, he chose her. Just like Jesus chose you. Your past is your past. You are His now and that’s all that matters.
He will keep pursuing you too! Much like the Duke pursued the woman who lost that shoe. He didn’t stop until he found her. And once he found her, he took her to the prince and changed her life forever!
Once Cinderella and the Prince were together, she was able to escape from the abuse and misery that had been forced on her. She was able to feely live in peace and love.
Likewise, once you embrace a realtionship with God, you are free from the bonds of slavery placed on you by sin. Sin has no hold on you. With Christ, you have this amazing invitation, Come as you are, but don’t stay as you are.
What I truly love about this movie is the hope. Hope that this life is not all that there is. Cinderella has a longing in her heart from the very beginning of the movie. A dream that she wishes. And it comes true.
I pray for a generation of young girls to recognize that longing in their heart as a longing for the True Prince of Peace- Jesus Christ, our Risen Savior who already saved her from her sins. Who loved her so much that He paid the price for her, ransomed her with His blood, and rose three days later to give her the HOPE of eternal life. A Happily Ever After in Heaven with her True Love- The Prince of Peace.
If every young girl recognized that longing in their heart as a longing for Heaven, maybe we could truly experience Heaven on Earth!