Tag Archives: kindness

Cinderella Says the F Word

Forgive

Cinderella said the F Word

I heard her and I was SHOCKED!

I had seen the advertisements for the new “Cinderella” movie, but resisted seeing the full trailer because I knew I’d anticipate its debut too much!

Today, once I knew it was released, I watched the trailer.

I teared up watching the preview while in a public place. I made Stephen watch the preview with me and he looked at me and said, “Are you crying already?”. To which I remarked, “Of course! It is just so magical”.

My husband then graciously took me to see the movie later that evening with some of our friends.

The story line of course is the same as it has always been :) Yet it appears to come to life more with actual live characters.

On a side note: I may or may not have a song from the Roger and Hammerstein Cinderella version on my phone… “do I love you because you’re beautiful…”…moving right along…

I was intrigued by the beauty of Cinderella’s relationship with her mother and father and saddened by her loss of both of them (that’s NOT a spoiler ;) c’mon you know that already).

The actress who plays Cinderella, Lily James (or Rose as some know her ;) ) does an incredible job portraying her role.

I was captivated.

She wasn’t just a servant who rolled her eyes and replied with a sigh to her evil step-mother like the cartoon Disney version often portrays.

She served with kindness in every moment as her real mother had told her to live out her days with courage and kindness.

Through all of the wickedness, cruelty, and dashed dreams, Cinderella meets all circumstances with kindness in this movie.

She even offers the fairy god-mother disguised as a beggar some milk even though she herself is in some serious heartache of her own.

Tears of sadness are shed as we walk with our beloved princess as she walks through losing her parents, suffering cruelty, being rejected, and seemingly losing all hope.

If you’re like me, you cry when her dress is brilliantly transformed by the “bippity boppity boo” magic!

Her dress and the carriage are nothing short of stunning!

Nothing could have prepared my heart for the joy of the royal ball scene!
It was quite grand.

Then I had to endure the scheming of the step-mother and Cinderella’s invalidation of being worthy of the love of a Prince/King.

In the end when of course Cinderella is the absolute last woman in the kingdom to try on the shoe and it fits, she is whisked away instantly with the now, King.

Before leaving the farmhouse that she grew up in that holds the precious memories of her parents, we see the step-mother on the staircase.

And that is when Cinderella says IT.

The BIG F word…

The one we don’t hear often.

Cinderella looks at her step-mother, the one who has hurt her so deeply knowing that she now has full power to repay and bring vindication and she says,…

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“I FORGIVE YOU”.

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I don’t even remember the rest of what was said in the movie. I was already sitting on the edge of my seat and when that line was released, I bawled.

I didn’t bawl at the true love of a common girl and a Prince, although what Jesus has done in my life CERTAINLY reminds me of that and is part of why this movie unlocks my heart.

I didn’t bawl at how pretty her dress was, although I did cry at that.

I didn’t even bawl at the loss of her family and all she loved.

I wept so hard at the end, because I wasn’t expecting her to forgive and release the one who hurt her so much.

I’m accustomed to our culture where we strive to defend ourselves, seek vindication , and wish the worst on our enemies.

Where the world says a different F-word altogether when given the opportunity to slay our enemies.

How easy it would’ve been for Cinderella to have made a cheeky remark.

Instead “I FORGIVE YOU” comes out of her mouth….3 of the most powerful words that one can experience.

The way she reacted in kindness reminded me of  the blog I wrote about the avocado tree and what happens to it when it’s beaten.

The movie didn’t end with the step-family characters dressed in rags serving Cinderella all the days of their life.

There was no focus given to evil in the end, because it was defeated by love.

And not even the love between the King and Cinderella,…

but the love in Cinderella’s heart towards the ones who hurt her.

Who do you need to forgive today?

Like Cinderella, the kingdom of Heaven belongs to those whose hearts aren’t bound in offense.

It is released in and through the lives of those who choose kindness. Who choose love.

Those who walk in the words of their King and extend the forgiveness that He has so freely given to them.

Who needs to hear “I FORGIVE YOU” from your lips today?

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Author: Bailey Kuert

Next Article  5 Reasons Why Jesus Isn’t Like All Christians

Avocado Tree

In the backyard of my in-law’s house in Kenya is a huge avocado tree.

It produces avocados that average about 2 pounds each.
This varies largely in comparison to the tiny avocados that Stephen buys at Whole Foods in the States :)

My in-laws didn’t plant this tree, the former owners did.
Whenever they moved into the house and heard there was an avocado tree, they were a bit amazed as the tree was so little and didn’t produce any fruit.

My father-in-law asked a local gardener how to get the tree to produce fruit.

He was told to beat the tree with a bat or a stick.

I can only imagine what the neighbors must’ve thought when he went out to beat up the tree.

Shortly after the “beating”, the tree began to blossom for the first time. That was when they learned that these trees must be shocked in order to produce fruit.

This made me think about my walk with God.

I’m sure you’ve heard it said that praying for patience inevitably produces more opportunities for…patience right? Such as a traffic jam (which in Africa can be painfully long).

Well in my experience, there seems to be a place where when we go through trials and test that we have a chance to grow in the fruit of the spirit.

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against sun there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”-Galatians 5:22-26

When you go into Christian bookstores and see jewelry and various other Christian items that have the fruit of the Spirit listed on there, the fruit appear simply and applicable to every believer’s life right?

There are even paintings of beautiful fruit baskets and cornucopia of fruit with Galatians 5 written on them.

I haven’t however seen huge warning signs or fine print attached to such beautiful gifts and decor that tell of what it took to produce that fruit.

Yet, that’s probably what should be written ;)

Let’s see long-suffering…what on earth does that mean?
What types of things would we walk through to produce that fruit in us? ::WHACK::
Kindness? What about that obnoxious neighbor who is completely disrespectful of anyone else but themselves? ::WHACK:: just a chance to grow in kindness.

I definitely think the picture of the avocado tree is a picture of us growing in the fruit of the Spirit.

I don’t mean to say that God beats us and challenges us in order for us to grow in fruit. But Jesus did say that in the life we would have trials and tribulations.

He never said life wouldn’t quit throwing punches at us simply because we are Christians, but we are promised that we are more than conquerors through Him.

So when life takes it’s “whacks” at you, ask Christ for endurance that you would produce fruit of the Spirit and fruit that remains.

The avocado tree in Kenya is now over two stories tall and produces several hundred avocados each year.

What fruit will the trials you’re going through now produce in the years to come?