The Fairest of Them All

Last night, Amber and I watched the new movie Mirror Mirror. Lily Collins is the lovely Snow White in a modern re-telling of the classic fairytale, and Julia Roberts plays the evil Queen whose sole desire is to be and eternally remain "the fairest of them all".

Lily Collins as Snow White in 'Mirror Mirror' © Relativity Media, LLC

This new film is very different from the Disney classic, but one central theme that remains the same is the focus on outer beauty. While Snow White doesn't intentionally make a spectacle of herself, her step-mother, the Queen is all-consumed with appearances. She wears the most elaborate gowns, forces herself into clothing that doesn't fit, and resorts to magic in efforts to maintain her glory. One interesting twist to the story is the explanation of the dwarfs' home in the forest: they have been banished from the village by the Queen along with all the other "uglies".

I'm reminded of a few Biblical principles. First, what truly matters is not outer beauty, but inner beauty - and no, that's not "just something fat people say" (to quote Jim Carrey's character in Liar Liar).

Truth Without Excuse

"For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."

- Romans 1:20 NIV

In 2006, in a local bookstore, I came across a Sunday School curriculum based on The Andy Griffith Show. For $120, you could buy a kit that included four episodes of the show along with a teacher's guide and handouts for students. At first, the idea seemed strange, but the more I thought about it, it made a lot of sense. After all, the show was more than just a great comedy - almost every episode had some kind of moral content. I tucked it away in the back of my mind that one day, I would love to be able to do this class, though I just couldn't justify the price at the time.

Months later, in a casual conversation with someone, we began talking about our mutual love for The Andy Griffith Show, and I remembered the Sunday School kit. "Wouldn't it be great if we could come up with a way to have the class? If only it didn't cost so much!" And then the idea was born. What if I were to come up with my own curriculum based on the show?