I love the Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast. Aside from its surface love story and endearing characters, there is a wonderful deeper meaning to it all.
Many of us struggle to keep our more unwanted features and aspects of ourselves hidden from others, and many times even from ourselves. It's normal to initially look upon these characteristics and qualities with disdain, frustration, and anger. Yet behind all those discordant emotions, there lies a depth of beauty - an opportunity to learn and to grow right there within ourselves.
In the animation movie, Bell saw beyond the physical appearance of what she initially perceived as a ghastly being. She learned that the Beast was more than what he portrayed on the outside - that he had great beauty within as well.
As we experience life, we sometimes find our patience wearing thin when dealing with ourselves, coworkers, family members, and neighbors. It is in those times that it's helpful to try and step back and see beyond what's shown to us on the surface. Feel what is going on beneath the actions and words.
Beauty and the Beast can be likened to our own human struggle for self-acceptance, with all our perceived flaws. As we learn to love our flaws, they seem to dissipate into something more beautiful than we had originally imagined.
What perceived Beasts will you look beyond to find the true jewel and Beauty within?
