As a young girl my favorite fairly tale was Cinderella. Her rags to riches story captivated my imagination and her happy ending brought many happy dreams growing up. Cinderella displayed a positive attitude in the midst of the hardships bestowed on her from her step family. Her kingdom work looked like cleaning the house and being at the beck and call of her stepmom and stepsisters. Inspite of everything she faced, Cinderella worked hard and never took her situation for granted. Humility, grace and love provided her the means to live in the conditions surrounding her.

Cinderella’s story provides a glimpse of a persecuted life. She had a place to live and food to eat, but lacked the love of family. Cinderella lived in a home where she was not always welcome. She conducted her kingdom work in the midst of challenges and ended up with the reward of the prince and his kingdom.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines kingdom as “the realm in which God’s will is fulfilled.” For Cinderella, it looked like cheerfully completing the daily chores and finding the gift of love, promise and so much more as a result. Her struggles looked minimal in comparison to her kingdom reward.

[Tweet “People will call us out on our faith but this is where our kingdom work is realized.”]

Our beatitude today speaks of God’s kingdom and how we should welcome life’s challenges. People will call us out on our faith but this is where our kingdom work is realized. Our faith grows stronger as we dig deeper and hold on tighter.

You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom. Matthew 5:10 MSG

If I am honest, I do not like confrontation and the thought of persecution leaves me trembling. But if I look at my fears through God’s eyes, they have no business in His desires for us to enter His kingdom. God created us to live bravely for Him. He takes our fears and kicks them to the curb over and over. We just need to willingly release our fears instead of holding on tight.

Cinderella lived a life that looked demanding on many levels. Her heart for doing her work willingly allowed her to submit in a loving and humble way. She lived a fulfilled life because she faced life head on with a spirit of courage and humility.

God asks us to live a life in which we work to build His Kingdom by sharing the Gospel. It is not the popular choice and it causes us to stand out from the norm. The good news is it leads us to the place where God’s will is fulfilled.

This week I pray that we find the redemption in our own Cinderella stories. How will we respond when life’s challenges overwhelm us? Will we share love, grace and humility in response to the messiness? Is God leading us to redemption when we submit to life’s hardships knowing that His plan overcomes them?

May our lives point to God whether it is popular or not and may we persevere toward the fulfillment of God’s will no matter what comes our way. I’m praying for all of you sweet readers that we know God is always stronger and bigger than any persecution we face.

Living courageously,

Click here to catch up on any posts you may have missed in the Beatitude series.
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