A Twist of Beauty and the Beast (not a spoiler alert)!

I had the opportunity to see Beauty and the Beast with my husband and some friends.
It stole my heart. I was so moved by the message I could not move from my seat after the movie had ended. It felt like my soul had awoken from a deep sleep. I wanted to sit in my seat and stare for hours and bask in the way I was feeling.

A thought struck me at the end of the movie. What if the enchantress had been the Prince (or the beast's) mother all along? Imagine for a moment, that she was, though, we can probably all agree she really wasn't. But just imagine. The thought occurred to me: Could a mother have possibly loved her son so much, that when she saw him living so beneath who he was meant to be, she was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, possibly the only thing that could wake up the heart of the prince, by turning him into a beast and then requiring true love in order for the spell to be broken? In your imagination, picture, this mother, was determined that there be a happy ending, at least in all of her power. Though the Beast could not be forced to change his heart (and Belle so eloquently demonstrates this idea when she says something to the lines of "How could a person ever be happy when they are not free?") his mother, the enchantress, would have been behind the scenes, unbeknownst to Him, doing everything in Her power to help him rediscover who he was all along: a royal prince. Of noble blood. Meant to better the world, not to harm it. Still, in her efforts, could the enchantress have seen that Belle was perhaps the only being, willing to look beyond his beastly ways and truly love him in return?      
   
                 

There, in this scenario, it would make perfect sense that the enchantress would intervene in the shadows of life, to produce the necessary furture for the salvation of not just the prince, but of many lives. In this sense, I think of the enchantress more as a guardian angel (and with a twist, His guardian angel Mother). Though this is a fairy tale we're talking about, It's not difficult for me to imagine such a scenario since I do believe our loved ones, when they pass from this life, or even before they have gained a mortal body on this earth, are on the other side of that veil, working tirelessly and pleading for our cause. Doing all they can to help us remember who we truly are: Sons and Daughters of Almighty God.

There were so many messages to be taken but this was just one. On a deeper level, the same message that came to me was this: Our Heavenly mother- for YES I do believe we have a Heavenly Mother just as well as we have a Heavenly Father- loves us so much, she's been willing to allow us to endure such great sufferings with the powerful hope (or something beyond just a hope) that our hearts will be changed and bettered, until we can shatter the facade that lays above our skins, tempting to hold us into the guise that we are much less of beings than we are, for truly we are of Royal descent, heirs to the Kingdom of God.

Considering we are ALL of royal decent, children of God, this story of Beauty and the Beast can also be a symbolic reminder to us that none of us is "the least" in God's kingdom. For though we think we are strong (Gastón) we find in the end that we are weak, and those who may seem less noble (Belle) to some are actually quite the opposite. And it's never too late to change your course of action (Lefou). There are so many other messages. But back to my thought about Heavenly Mother. Our Heavenly Mother loves us so much that she has provided, by some means, a way for us to struggle and learn and grow, so that one day we can return to her. I imagine, like I imagined the enchantress, Heavenly Mother would do EVERYTHING, behind the scenes, to create the outcome she knew we most desperately needed for our eternal growth and eventuation in the Kingdom of God.

What are your thoughts and insights on Heavenly Mother?
What inspirations or life-applications can you find from watching Beauty and the Beast?

Healing Through Faith Alone!

I was reading This talk today and I found myself understanding better a question my husband I have asked each other and which I have been pondering about for some time now. The question has been this: "If I can heal by faith alone, according to doctrine, then Why is a priesthood blessing so important?"  I don't know about you, but I love receiving priesthood blessings.  I believe in them. I believe the blessings I receive are coming from God. I believe my husband carrys with him the sacred responsibility of administering blessings for the healing of the sick. I have been comforted, been guided and been given sacred promises of healing through these blessings. This isn't a question of faith for me but rather a question of how Faith works and how it correlates with the priesthood authority that has been restored to this earth today, particularly the restoration of blessings for the Healing of the sick and afflicted. I know miracles happen. I have experienced many in my life and seen many in others. In this talk I listened to, by Elder Dallin H. Oaks, He shares

 The use of medical science is not at odds with our prayers of faith and our reliance on priesthood blessings. When a person requested a priesthood blessing, Brigham Young would ask, “Have you used any remedies?” To those who said no because “we wish the Elders to lay hands upon us, and we have faith that we shall be healed,” President Young replied: “That is very inconsistent according to my faith. If we are sick, and ask the Lord to heal us, and to do all for us that is necessary to be done, according to my understanding of the Gospel of salvation, I might as well ask the Lord to cause my wheat and corn to grow, without my plowing the ground and casting in the seed. It appears consistent to me to apply every remedy that comes within the range of my knowledge, and [then] to ask my Father in Heaven … to sanctify that application to the healing of my body.”1

Of course we don’t wait until all other methods are exhausted before we pray in faith or give priesthood blessings for healing. In emergencies, prayers and blessings come first. Most often we pursue all efforts simultaneously. This follows the scriptural teachings that we should “pray always” (D&C 90:24) and that all things should be done in wisdom and order.2

The thought came to me, If I am acting in Faith, doing all I can to receive those healing blessings from Christ (as I believe all healing, even in the medical world is truly an endowment from Christ) and I am STILL not healing, THIS is where the priesthood authority comes in. It directs Christ's power and will in an exact course, to those seeking the priesthood blessings. Like the quote above states, we don't need to wait until we have run ourselves dead, seeking treatment and help of all kinds. But we can ask ourselves: Am I acting in Faith? Am I doing my part? In the culmination of it all, I think any person believing in the doctrine taught within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints can say that healing, often times, will require both Faith AND a Priesthood blessing NOT just one or the other.
So, to answer the question: If I can heal by Faith alone, Why is a priesthood blessing necessary? My answer, for now, would be: because sometimes Faith alone, for whatever reason, can not provide the miracle sought, and Proper Priesthood authority is required to enable those blessings.

What are your personal thoughts and inspirations about Healing through Faith or Healing through Priesthood Authority?