The Gospel According to Cinderella
**Warning: The following post contains spoilers about the plot of Cinderella… However, if you are reading this and don’t know the plot of Cinderella, you are probably not the kind of person who would care if I spoil it at this point.
A few nights ago, Leigh (my wife) and I watched the 2015 reimagining of Cinderella. She’s been talking about wanting to watch it for weeks at this point and so we finally broke down, purchased it and settled in for our first viewing since we’d seen it opening weekend in the theater. I’m not gonna lie, I enjoyed watching it again significantly more than I thought I would, and it also brought the following thoughts to mind.
“Have Courage, and Be Kind”
The final words of Cinderella’s mother at the beginning of the film are a beautiful guide to life. “Have Courage,” is an empowering call to stand up and move beyond fear. It’s one of the most common refrains of the Christian Bible, “Do not fear… Be courageous,” for God is with you and God is love, love so perfect that it drives out all fear. “Be Kind,” is a bold call to love everyone — neighbors, strangers, foreigners, even enemies.
Unfortunately, throughout a good chunk of the movie, Cinderella misunderstands her mother’s message and stays in a cycle of abuse at the hands of her stepmother and stepsisters. Yet, as the film moves on toward its end, Cinderella finds support and love from her Fairy Godmother, and through her burgeoning relationship with the crown prince in which they challenge one another and help each other grow in even the short time they spend together, Cinderella comes to understand that she can still have courage, and be kind, and yet stand up for herself and speak out against the abuse and harm done.
This is a wonderful turn in Cinderella’s understanding of what it means to “Have courage, and be kind.” Kindness and courage do not mean staying put in abusive relationships but instead look like a love that frees from oppression. And in courage and kindness, Cinderella also claims her identity and lives into every aspect of her story. Finally, at the end of it all, Cinderella does not seek out any retribution, but shows courage, kindness, and love as, after she has found freedom from her oppression and even found power as the king’s betrothed, Cinderella proclaims forgiveness to her broken, sinful, abusive stepmother.
