Maleficent - Be Careful of Your World

Maleficent

Be Careful of Your Words and Hate Will Destroy You

Maleficent was a beautiful retelling of a classic fairy tale. This is Sleeping Beauties story told from Maleficent’s point of view. Read further but be aware of spoilers if you have not seen the movie.

At the beginning of the story Maleficent is a young and happy fairy living in the moor. The moor was the land held by the fairy folk. She is strong, powerful and kind.

A young human boy is found at the edge of the fairy land. He had come into the moor looking for items he could sell to better his life. He had taken a gem from a pond. The fairy believed in leaving the gems where they lay. Maleficent stepped in and got him to return the stone and calmed those of the fairy folk that were upset at his “stealing”.

Maleficent walked the boy, named Stephan out of the moor and back into the human realm. As they parted they shook hands. The boy’s iron ring burned Maleficent’s hand! He quickly took off his ring, his only worldly possession and tossed it away so he would not hurt Maleficent again. Maleficent was touched by the boy’s kindness and willingness to toss away his only possession for her safety and comfort. Before they parted Stephan told Maleficent his goal was to live in the castle someday. He had no family and was living in poverty sleeping in a barn.

Maleficent and Stephan became close friends and would often meet to talk. On her 16 birthday Stephan gave Maleficent a kiss and said it was “True Loves Kiss”. Shortly after that Stephan stopped coming to meet Maleficent. Maleficent wondered what had happened to her friend.

Stephan had given into the greed that controlled the humans in that area. The king was greedy and bent on finding a way into the moors so he could take control of the fairies and their land. Maleficent had grown more powerful and lead the fairies in the defense of their land.

The king made a great attack on the moor boarder. Maleficent was there to defend the fairy folk. In the fight Maleficent gravely injured the old king. The king knew he was dying and told all his lords whoever killed Maleficent would become king after he died. Stephan was aid to the king and heard the declaration. Stephan came up with a plan to become king.

Stephan, now a young man, no longer a boy went to find Maleficent. He sat and talked to her about their feeling of the past. He plied her with drink that was drugged and Maleficent fell asleep in his arms.

While Maleficent slept Stephan pulled a knife to kill her so he could bring her head to the king. He could not bring himself to kill the creature he had once loved. Instead of killing her he took an iron chain and used it to burn off her wings! He took the wings to the king and because of that was made king after the old king died.

Maleficent’s heart was broken when she awoke. Her beautiful, strong wings were gone! Worse she had been betrayed by the only human she had ever trusted and yes loved. Maleficent’s heart turned dark with hate. She became consumed with the idea of revenge. Once she found out that king Stephan was going to have a child she planned on cursing the child! She took control of the fairy realm and made herself queen.

Once the child was born a celebration was planned to mark the birth of the new princess. Maleficent attended the celebration and cursed the child. The curse was one of eternal sleep. The only thing that could save the child was “True Loves Kiss”! Maleficent thought it was funny and perfect because she did not believe in “True Love”.

King Stephan sent his precious daughter off with three fairies that offered to raise her until she was 16 and protector from the curse. These three fairies did not know anything about raising a human child. The only reason the baby survived was because Maleficent was following them and watching the child. When the fairies forgot to feed her Maleficent sent in her minion to provide for the child. When the child wondered off Maleficent used her powers to save her.

As time ran on Maleficent could not deny her affection for “the little beasty” as she called her. The days before her birthday Maleficent reviled herself to the child. She tried to reverse the curse but her curse could not be broken. Maleficent came upon the idea of allowing her to live with her in the moor. Sadly this was not to happen. The girl ran into a boy! A young prince named Phillip. When she ran home to tell the 3 aunties that had raised her that she was going to the moor and she had met a boy they reviled the truth. Arora ran to the castle to meet her father.

The spell took hold and Arora fell into her cursed sleep. Maleficent took Prince Phillip in to try to wake Arora. She hoped that Phillip loved Arora enough to wake her but it failed. Maleficent felt shamed for doing this to Arora. She realized that it was wrong. She bent over and kissed Arora on the forehead and Arora awoke! It’s was Loves True Kiss!

Stephan had gone mad. I believe the guilt of what he had done to Maleficent and fear for his daughter drove him crazy. He was so out of his mind he refused to answer the request of his dying queen to come to her. He sat in the dark speaking to Maleficent’s wings that he had locked in a case. When Arora came to him he had her locked up instead of responding to her. He refused to stop with his thoughts of killing Maleficent even though Arora was ok and had awakened.

Arora saw her father’s insanity and chose to trust Maleficent. Arora freed Maleficent’s wings and they flew to her and reattached. Stephan and Maleficent battled and Maleficent tried not to kill him. She saw that Stephan was crazed and she knew if she did not give up her hate she would end up the same way. In the end Maleficent won and Stephan died because he would not stop attacking her.

The lesson I want to share today from this story is a word of caution. Your words have weight and meaning. When you curse someone, say mean and hurtful things or say things to control them or change their behavior it will backfire on you. It is not what you put into your heart and mind that poisons you it is what comes out of your mouth.

In Matthew 15:8-10 Jesus said, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teaching are merely human rules. Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.

I believe one of the lessons Jesus was talking about is of thoughts and actions and not so much about food.

We can take in hate and anger and either be consumed by it and spit it out to hurt others, Stephan was. In doing so we are consumed by hate. We can make the choice to take the ugly things that come at us and instead of cursing people (trying to hurt them) we can return love instead. The hate does not have to consume us! We do not have to be poisoned by it. We can choose forgiveness, happiness and healing.

A closing thought. Matthew 5:38-42 Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Maleficent learned that she could only win when she forgave Stephan for his deception. She learned love is freeing and true love really exists. This is true! When we forgive we are free to trust others again, not only the one that wronged us bot others as well. True love really exists in the person of Jesus Christ and he can show us how to live in that love as well.