"I don’t want my children to listen to fairy tales,” I’ve heard parents say. “I don’t want my daughter to think that she’s some helpless girl who needs to be rescued by a man.”

Perhaps that is what fairy tales appear to convey. But if we look deeper into these stories, we see that Cinderella is not a lost soul with problems — and Prince Charming is not merely a man who frees her from her oppressive life.

From a spiritual perspective, Cinderella is all of us, male and female. Through no fault of her own, she is an overworked human being, trapped in her circumstances with never enough time, never enough money, and no end in sight. Who cannot relate to her?

Many characters in fairy tales, including the films we love so much, find themselves caught under spells brought on by others people ’s greed, envy, ambitions, unkind family members, and more. But God is there.

Cinderella is not transformed by marrying a prince; she, like us, is restored to her true nature. This happens through her faith and kiss of True Love—the love of God.

Death and resurrection play major roles in fairy tales. Sleeping Beauty is seemingly dead, as is Snow White. These two are again raised up by the
True Love that seeks them out, as God seeks us.

In the original story, The Little Mermaid dies in an act of self-sacrifice, and she too resurrects as a kind of angel because of her courage and love.

This theme of death and resurrection is not reserved for women. Beauty and the Beast (and the recent remake, Beastly)  is a dazzling example of a man whose inner life has gone horribly astray, imprisoning him, and those a round him, in a powerful, worldly spell.

This story touches many hearts. Who hasn’t known a man caught in the trappings of ambition, or an addiction, or the illusions of this world, defining himself by his job title or bank account balance? Or a person made a lonely beast because of pride or lack of reconciliation in his life?

Through Belle’s unfailing love, a love that penetrates to the heart and soul, the Beast is restored— radiant, resplendent—and when the Prince is healed, the Kingdom is revealed.  

See how God works to make all things new.

 Photos: Walt Disney Co.