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.
You may find me hanging out at these lovely places today.
Mary, our childhood stories have much to teach us into adulthood, don’t they? The best ones always leave a lingering mark. I’m not sure I know how to answer your gently probing questions, as I’m currently living in a season of overwhelm, clinging to God for all I’m worth! If it’s okay with you, I’d like to share a poem from my poetic memoir, ‘Seeking Solace’, which was inspired by the Cinderella story too:
‘Like Cinderella’
Like Cinderella—
I freshen the embers,
sift the soot of yesterday,
encourage the flame
burgeoning within,
and stoke the fire
with strokes of fidelity
Sitting in ashes—
I shiver cold and dream
of brighter things,
dust down life’s cobwebs,
bring back the shine
to all that’s tarnished
until it glows and sings
Waiting with intent—
I see a new vista
opening up before me,
Scenting peace and rest,
something heaven-sent,
limp with longing
as I ache to fly free
Sorry to have become a bit of a stranger here. It’s lovely to catch up with you again! Blessings and love. xo <3
What a lovely treat to not only have you here but also that you shared some of your words with me. I adore Cinderella and love how you captured a picture of her life and dreams. I bought your poetry book and it arrived yesterday. I cannot wait to read more of your words.
I am praying for you as you traverse the path of feeling overwhelmed. May God bring you peace and strength and provide healing for your husband. Love you dear friend!
This really reflects where I’m currently studying in 1 Peter, Mary. So much of our calling is about facing persecution and potentially suffering for our faith. But that shouldn’t stop us from striking up those awkward but so very important conversations with those who don’t know the Lord. Who knows how God will use our willingness for His sake. Great thoughts, as usual, my friend!
I love knowing that these words connected with what you are studying. We are called to shine for God and there will be times when this is not the popular thing. We need to step out bravely for God even when it leaves us trembling. God will use us and we need to hold on for the ride. Thank you for affirming my heart and being here with encouragement.
Mary, THIS: “If I am honest, I do not like confrontation and the thought of persecution leaves me trembling.” So Me too friend. Good to know I’m in good company.
We certainly share a connection in that sentence alone! The blessing is how God meets us in the persecution and provides what we need to speak to others in truth and grace. I always love when you stop by.
Life’s challenges have been a bit overwhelming this week, I hope I have responded with grace and will continue to do so as I navigate this new normal. It’s comforting to know that God is never surprised by our circumstances.
I’m praying that whatever is causing your challenges will pass on soon. God is never surprised by what we are facing. We are, but He has the plan and it is good. Love you friend!
I have always love the retelling of fairytales and the way that good always wins in the end. In fact, I used to assign that creative writing lesson to my writing students at the beginning of the year to give them an easy way to start our year together. It was one of my very favorite lessons.
But I can’t say I have contemplated my own Cinderella moments, Mary. I like how you tied the beatitudes up with this lesson on looking for His goodness in the midst of our stories. And like Cinderella, because we know the author, there will always be a favorable end for those who love God.
Blessings!
Dawn
I’m sure it was easy at one time to use fairy tales for a creative writing assignment. I find that kids don’t know fairy tales like they use to. We are blessed to have our own stories and through every chapter we search for our own happy ending. We know that God will provide the happy ending. Thank you for sharing your insight and joining in the conversation.
Cinderella was always one of my favourite stories too but I had never really thought about the lessons we can learn from her example. It takes amazing strength to respond with love and humility in the face of persecution but I love how God can redeem our stories and turn them into something good.
Cinderella seems to be a universal character that we can wrap our heads around. Her story is one that we love because of the happy ending but we need to look at the other themes more closely. I love the parallel between her strength and grace in the face of adversity. We also face persecution in our lives but we have God who provides a safe place to land. Blessed to have you here Lesley!
I always loved the Cinderella story, too, Mary. My heart ached for her, and I was so delighted when her Prince Charming came and rescued her. Thank you for bringing forward her humility and grace in spite of persecution. I love your searching questions about how we will respond when life’s challenges overwhelm us. I pray with you – “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.” Amen! Love and hugs to you!
There is nothing like a Prince Charming to come to our rescue. That is who God is for us. I pray you have been challenged by this series as I have. God continues to amaze me with how He teaches me through my writing. Thank you for praying with me as we persevere toward God’s will through it all.
Beautiful words, Mary. I used to love the Cinderella tale too. Your post made me think of the movie, Ever After, and how Drew Barrymore’s character served because she loved her home and the legacy of her father. May we serve well and may our lives testify of our faith, so that doors may open to share the legacy of our Father.
God calls each of us to serve and build His kingdom. The best part of the call is that we are all chosen no matter what our circumstances are-just like Cinderella. I am joining you in serving well to share the legacy of our Father.
Living with grace and humility even in our messiness is such a powerful message. It embodies so much of Christ and living out His message when we do this, and brings me so much more peace than when I fight against my struggles. Gleaning from this series, Mary. Thank you.
I love how God is so gracious to teach us even when we least expect it. I am humbled that God has brought you along for this journey and has taught you through the process too. May you continue to find peace.
We’re both posting, this morning, on lessons learned from children’s tales! 🙂
Thank you for helping me to see the Cinderella story from a fresh perspective.
We truly are rewarded by our coming Prince, aren’t we? We just have to know who He is. Jesus is our King who redeems and delivers us from a life of bondage!
I’m glad we had this connection today. God is good to share lessons with us through simple resources such as children’s tales. May we always know that our future reward is worth the time and struggle.
Amen, He is, Mary! I love this: “Our faith grows stronger as we dig deeper and hold on tighter.” It does. Thank the Lord. Thanks for sharing this today!
God is amazing and loves when we work toward building His kingdom. I pray that our faith continues to grow stronger because we allow God to prune us and dig deeper to cause fruitful growth. Blessed you joined me here Bethany.
It’s no mistake that this final beatitude is followed by words about salt and light.
When we manage to put Christ on display even during times of persecution we put His magnificence on display and are at our saltiest and brightest!
Thanks, Mary, for the good words you’ve shared in this series!
You are right about how we read about salt and light next after the Beatitudes. If you continue to read the Message version this is what it says:
Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.
Don’t you love this? I want to be the saltiness that brings out the God-flavors to the earth. What a beautiful reminder to continue to seek love in all and share who God is with all those we meet. Thank you for being here for the series.