Anybody else seen “Maleficent?” If you have you know that the story of “Sleeping Beauty” is told through a very sympathetic “bad fairy’s” eyes? As I’ve never seen Angelina Jolie be anything other than fabulous, I looked forward to this Disney re-do immensely. I loved this movie. The good and bad in all of us, the hate and love, and the innocence that can see only love.
The dark fairy becomes the protector, somehow the villain looses her own heart to her “vile” enemy, as Maleficent grows to love (or at least live in the “in-between”) Aurora through the years as she watches her little nemesis grow. And Aurora has mistaken Maleficent as her godmother. But that’s enough for my purpose, and I hope I haven’t given away too much.
I believe in love, and I believe in hate. I also believe in the in-between. Let me be clear. This “in-between” is NOT a Christian concept I’ve ever heard preached from the pulpit. But, I’d be willing to bet everything I have (Maybe cause that isn’t much.) that most people I know including self-identified Christians, understand that “in-between” space. That space that says “I know I feel something, but I’m not sure what it is. And, please, for both of our sakes don’t demand, anything yet.”
Sometimes, I am amazing at allowing things to just happen, but sometimes I’m just not there, and I desperately want to put my fingers in every pie God has on His counter. (And you know how I feel about pie.) I believe this state is called fear – fear that I won’t know what the next step should be, because I’ve made some pretty big mistakes. You know about most of them already.
But in life, does fear really have any place? As a nurse, I used to tell people that pain was God’s way of telling us something was wrong. Is that fear’s similar function? God’s way of telling us that something is wrong spiritually? I don’t think so, could be wrong, but don’t think so. I think that fear holds us back from who we are meant to be, and God would never, ever hold us back from being the best we can be.
The thing is, most of those years were also spent in the “in-between.” How do you walk away, but how do you stay? Ultimately, the decision is between you and God. But let the discussion end there because everyone has an opinion, and more than that, they want to share those opinions. Mostly for your real and true good. Some from vitriol, but mostly not. You are talking to a woman who spent the last 8 years of her life wearing fear like an ankle-monitor. And I am finished with that!
Remember, Maleficent loved Aurora. Not everything you grew up believing turned out out to be true.
The Unexpected Life 