1 Corinthians 13:7
…Love keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Reflection
Okay… maybe Beauty and the Beast is a love story! A girl falls in love with a beast, who she (metaphorically) tames. At the risk of over-analyzing films, I do find this one worth the time analyzing. In one of the classic songs (“Something There”), Belle sings, “There's something sweet and almost kind… But he was mean, and he was coarse and unrefined. And now he's dear and so unsure. I wonder why I didn't see it there before!” The Beast notices, “She glanced this way, I thought I saw. And when we touched, she didn't shudder at my paw. No, it can't be, I'll just ignore. But then she's never looked at me that way before!”
Is not part of love the capacity to see in people the best of them? Belle only noticed the rough-edged Beast, angry and rude. The Beast only saw a young, petulant girl, naïve but bold. Once they each heard the others’ stories in the film, they saw the other in a different light… noticing complexities and nuances they had never seen. They started to see not just the negative, but the possibilities. It is hard to see past beastly exteriors. Belle didn’t see a handsome man, but learned to see something good, even in the brokenness. I think this is love: Seeing the best in others.
Prayer
Help us, Heavenly Father, to see the best in others, past their worst traits, as you have done with us.
