Dancing with The Beast

A couple weeks ago, Tiffany and I had the opportunity to take an adults only trip to our favorite destination, Walt Disney World. We had an amazing time getting to act like kids, and act like kids we did! We stayed up late, ate junk food, rode rides, and soaked up all the fun that Disney has to offer. It really was a great trip, but something happened on the day we visited the Magic Kingdom that set this visit above many others.

We went to see the Enchanted Tales with Belle attraction, which is a neat little experience. When you first arrive, you tour a mock-up of the cottage where Belle from Beauty and the Beast lived with her inventor father, Maurice. You work your way into Maurice’s workshop and are granted access into a special room through a “magical portal” where an abbreviated version of the story of Beauty and the Beast is presented, complete with a young lady dressed like Belle and some impressive audio-animatronics of famous characters from the movie. What really makes the attraction special, though, is that members from the audience get selected to play other roles and be part of the story. Much to my surprise, I was conscripted to play a suit of armor in the show and it was a thrill, especially getting my picture taken with the princess after the show.

Now one of the things that Disney does that makes it such a special place, and it goes back to Walt Disney’s original vision for his Disneyland Park, is it invites people of all ages and backgrounds to enter into the stories told in their movies. So what I witnessed as part of that story time attraction accomplished that goal in spades.

When it came time to cast the role of the Beast, I was curious who would be chosen. I figured a child would be selected, and most likely an adolescent boy who felt he was too cool for the moment, but the person who was chosen shattered any hint of type-casting. A little girl with Down Syndrome, probably no older than five-years-old, dressed in her own yellow Beauty and the Beast ball gown was asked to play the Beast. My heart was warmed, though I was a little curious how it would play out, but when the lights came on, she was ready! Wearing a little red cape, she growled and roared right on cue and illuminated the room with her effervescent exuberance and an uncontainable smile.

The highlight of the whole experience occurred toward the end of the story time when Belle was to dance with the Beast. As the beautiful princess in her flowing yellow ball gown held hands with this precious little girl and they “glided” across the floor, the little girl looked up at Belle with a star struck gaze that could only be interpreted as, “This is REAL!” Needless to say, there wasn’t a dry eye in the entire room and I was glad I had my knight’s helmet I could hide behind.

By my estimation, the Disney employee who selected the guests for the roles made a calculated risk in casting the little girl as the Beast. She could have clammed up, clung to her parents, or broke character in her scene-stealing role, but in choosing the least likely of “actors” for that role, magic was made that left a lasting impression on me, the others who witnessed that show, and I imagine most of all, the girl herself. If only for a few minutes in time on a January afternoon, she really was the Beast, dancing with the beautiful princess after finding the love that changed her life. Getting to play a part acting out a fairytale was something we will likely never forget, but it also points to a role in a bigger story that must be told.

All of us have the opportunity to allow love to touch our hearts and change our lives as we take our part in GOD’s love story to change the world. We are invited to take on a new wardrobe (Colossians 3:12) and experience a new existence thanks to what GOD did for us in Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:20). This is something that is available for all…it matters not who we are, where we have been, or what we have done…all that matters is acknowledging the truth that GOD has chosen to make salvation available to all of us, and not just a select few, thanks to Jesus (1Timothy 2.3-6)!

Another truth we must confront and conquer, though, is that there are people right around us who need to be shown that love and grace. We might look down on them because they are different or don’t fit our own preconceived mold of what is right, good, comfortable, or acceptable. When we look down at people like this, we make them out to be less than human – “beasts” if you will – the very ones Jesus gave His life to save. Beasts like you. Beasts like me. Beasts like all of us who would do well to realize that the Lord is offering His hand to join Him in the dance of life to gaze into His eyes and realize His love is real enough to soften the hardest of hearts!

Watching “The Beast” dance with the princess touched my heart in ways an animated movie never could. I think more importantly, I was impressed by how the people at Disney looked for an opportunity to make a magical moment for a little girl and her family at the risk of everyone else’s experience. And for an organization that prides itself in perfection, this was no small risk. But in the end, it was more than just a magical moment, because it was an example for how we all are called to look for those opportunities to show others – even the last, the lost, and the least – how special they are in the eyes of GOD.

As you look at your life, look for opportunities to help connect someone to the loving embrace of the Prince of Peace. He is looking to join us all in the dance of life, even the beasts that we might be. And when we realize the depth of His love, it will soften your heart, redirect your life, removing the shadow of a shallow existence, and transform you into the beautiful creature you were designed to be. For as Paul wrote: “We all show the Lord’s glory, and we are being changed to be like him. This change in us brings ever greater glory, which comes from the Lord…” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NCV)