Compassion

This weekend we got out to see the new movie of Beauty and the Beast. Whether or not you find yourself a fan of the movie, there’s something in the story that resonates deeply within the soul. I find myself here a couple days later wondering where we all are in this story of good and evil.

In the beginning, it shows the how the prince ‘fell’ from his humanity into the form of a beast because he lacked compassion towards a woman in need. Not only he, but his entire castle darkens and his serving staff transform into inanimate objects.

The heroine, though beautiful, is cast as a misfit in society, as one who would be most unlikely for a heroic role. Certainly not seeking the spotlight and often attempting to avoid it, Belle is moved by compassion to act justly and even sacrificially towards her father and later the Beast.

Compassion. We watch one character fall without it and another one rise because of it. We watch it redeem the fallen and bring about transformation, restoring the original design of goodness.

Every day we have the same choice.

Do we love well or do we not?

Are our lives rising or falling?

Living our best lives means to rise, knowing that those around us are depending on it. May we find more beauty than beast within and may it release transformation to the people and world around us.