Beauty and the Beast

Disclaimer: this is my blog. These are my views.  I am not perfect.  I love my children deeply.

I loved the movie Beauty and the Beast as a child.  I mean come on!  The book worm, sassy mouthed, scrappy little Belle takes on a cranky old beast to save her Dad?!  What’s not to love? 

I started reading about the ‘uproar’ concerning the new Beauty and the Beast last week on Facebook and I couldn’t help but giggle!  Y’all people have straight up lost their minds over this movie (that they haven’t even seen).  I was blown away at the way some spoke to others.  Some were so passionate about not letting their children see the movie while others were a little more ho-hum toward the subject.  Listen, I don’t care if you see the movie or not.  I don’t care if you shelter your kids from gay people forever.  I don’t care if you sit atop your pedestal and judge others for taking (or not taking) their children to see the movie when it comes out. What I do care about it how we seem to lost our ability to see others as people.  My goodness how different our reality would be if we just loved people.  All people.  I get it you are knowingly aware of a gay person in a movie and you cannot bring yourself to let your kids watch the movie.  You know what’s best for your kids.  God has entrusted them to you so you do what’s best!  But pretending groups of people don’t exist will not make them go away.

I am overly honest with my girls.  They know all about the birds and the bees, the puberty, gay people, illegal people and gasp! Even democrats!  I know people who grew up in the bubbles their parents created for them and when the bubble popped it was catastrophic.  I don’t want that for my girls and we can all thank Adam that our bubbles pop.  I have always been age appropriately honest with my girls.  When my 4-year-old wanted to know how her baby sister got in my tummy I didn’t rock her world with words like sperm and eggs…duh!  Now that she’s nearly 13 we do talk like that.  I have created an environment with my daughters that they can talk openly with me.  They know there is nothing that is off limits with me.  In turn they are starting to learn discernment.  They know when something feels off to them.  Case in point:  I don’t tolerate foul language.  I also read my daughters text logs every day.  I know my daughter has friends who cuss.  I’ve read it.  Rather than go off and tell my daughter to find a new set of friends I have spoken with her and given her some ways she might let her friends know that she’d rather them not cuss in front of her or on her text log.  A funny thing happened…my daughter is respected enough by her friends that they just stopped cussing in front of her or when they text her. It wasn’t weird or mean it was just a conversation.  I have taught her to love…not pretend these people don’t exist.  Don’t read something I didn’t say.  Loving others does not ever translate to keeping yourself in a situation that is physically harmful. 

Truth be told I likely will not take my daughters to see Beauty and the Beast.  But not for the reason that has caused so many waves. I can’t afford tickets, popcorn, and pop for 5 people. (ha ha ha)  If they catch on to the idea that a character in the movie is gay, we’ll talk about it.  If they don’t we’ll still talk about it.

I can’t help but think that our pews could be as full as the movie theaters if we would just love…

Tale as old as time:

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Rev 22:13

True as it can be

For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 2 Cor 13:8

Barely even friends

God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God, give you more and more grace and peace. 1 Peter 1:2

Then somebody bends unexpectedly

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

Just a little change

because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants, and you have humbled yourself before me and have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the LORD. 2 Cor. 34:27

Small to say the least

          Let your change of heart be seen in your works: Matthew 3:8

Both a little scared

Why should you be like a scared man, as a mighty man who can't save? Yet you, LORD, are in the midst of us, and we are called by your name; do not leave us."
Neither one prepared.  Jer. 14:9

Beauty

          This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17

and the beast

          Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you. Isaiah 59:2