Beauty and the Beast Story

SHORT STORY OF BEAUTY AND THE BEAST


A widower merchant lives in a mansion with his six children, three sons and three daughters. All his daughters are very beautiful, but the youngest, Beauty, is the most lovely, as well as kind, well-read, and pure of heart; while the two elder sisters, in contrast, are wicked, selfish, vain, and spoiled. They secretly taunt Beauty and treat her more like a servant than a sister. The merchant eventually loses all of his wealth in a tempest at sea which sinks most of his merchant fleet. He and his children are consequently forced to live in a small farmhouse and work for their living.
Some years later, the merchant hears that one of the trade ships he had sent has arrived back in port, having escaped the destruction of its compatriots. Before leaving, he asks his children if they wish for him to bring any gifts back for them. The sons ask for weaponry and horses to hunt with, whereas his oldest daughters ask for clothing, jewels, and the finest dresses possible as they think his wealth has returned. Beauty is satisfied with the promise of a rose as none grow in their part of the country. The merchant, to his dismay, finds that his ship's cargo has been seized to pay his debts, leaving him penniless and unable to buy his children's presents.
During his return, the merchant becomes lost during a storm. Seeking shelter, he enters a dazzling palace. A hidden figure opens the giant doors and silently invites him in. The merchant finds tables inside laden with food and drink, which seem to have been left for him by the palace's invisible owner. The merchant accepts this gift and spends the night there. The next morning, as the merchant is about to leave, he sees a rose garden and recalls that Beauty had desired a rose. Upon picking the loveliest rose he can find, the merchant is confronted by a hideous "Beast" which tells him that for taking his most precious possession after accepting his hospitality, the merchant must die. The merchant begs to be set free, arguing that he had only picked the rose as a gift for his youngest daughter. The Beast agrees to let him give the rose to Beauty, but only if the merchant or one of his daughters will return.

Beauty dines with the Beast in an illustration by Anne Anderson.

The merchant is upset but accepts this condition. The Beast sends him on his way, with wealth, jewels and fine clothes for his sons and daughters, and stresses that Beauty must never know about his deal. The merchant, upon arriving home, tries to hide the secret from Beauty, but she pries it from him. Her brothers say they will go to the castle and fight the Beast, but the merchant dissuades them, saying they will stand no chance against the monster. Beauty then agrees to go to the Beast's castle. The Beast receives her graciously and informs her that she is now mistress of the castle, and he is her servant. He gives her lavish clothing and food and carries on lengthy conversations with her. Every night, the Beast asks Beauty to marry him, only to be refused each time. After each refusal, Beauty dreams of a handsome prince who pleads with her to answer why she keeps refusing him, to which she replies that she cannot marry the Beast because she loves him only as a friend. Beauty does not make the connection between the handsome prince and the Beast and becomes convinced that the Beast is holding the prince captive somewhere in the castle. She searches and discovers multiple enchanted rooms, but never the prince from her dreams.
For several months, Beauty lives a life of luxury at the Beast's palace, having every whim catered to by invisible servants, with no end of riches to amuse her and an endless supply of exquisite finery to wear. Eventually, she becomes homesick and begs the Beast to allow her to go see her family. He allows it on the condition that she returns exactly a week later. Beauty agrees to this and sets off for home with an enchanted mirror and ring. The mirror allows her to see what is going on back at the Beast's castle, and the ring allows her to return to the castle in an instant when turned three times around her finger. Her older sisters are surprised to find her well fed and dressed in finery. Beauty tries to share the magnificent gowns and jewels the Beast gave her with her sisters, but they turn into rags at her sisters' touch, and are restored to their splendour when returned to Beauty, as the Beast meant them only for her. Her sisters are envious when they hear of her happy life at the castle, and, hearing that she must return to the Beast on a certain day, beg her to stay another day, even putting onion in their eyes to make it appear as though they are weeping. They hope that the Beast will be angry with Beauty for breaking her promise and eat her alive. Beauty's heart is moved by her sisters' false show of love, and she agrees to stay.

Illustration by Warwick Goble.

Beauty begins to feel guilty about breaking her promise to the Beast and uses the mirror to see him back at the castle. She is horrified to discover that the Beast is lying half-dead from heartbreak near the rose bushes from which her father plucked the rose, and she immediately uses the ring to return to the Beast.
Beauty weeps over the Beast, saying that she loves him. When her tears strike him, the Beast is transformed into the handsome prince from Beauty's dreams. The Prince informs her that long ago a fairy turned him into a hideous beast after he refused to let her in from the rain and that only by finding true love, despite his ugliness, could the curse be broken. He and Beauty are married and they live happily ever after together.


Moral: Inner beauty is greater than physical beauty

Yesus Allah Yang Setia

Apakah yang dimaksud dengan “setia”? Setia berarti dapat dipercaya. Allah itu setia. Artinya, Dia adalah Allah yang dapat dipercaya dan dapat diandalkan. Dia senantiasa memegang dan menepati janji-Nya. Setiap firman yang diucapkan-Nya pasti digenapi. Karena itu, kita tak perlu ragu atau kuatir akan penggenapan janji Allah dalam hidup kita. Kita dapat dengan tenang bersandar kepada-Nya dan mempercayai kesetiaan-Nya yang tak pernah berakhir.

Firman Tuhan berkata :

Sebab itu haruslah kauketahui, bahwa TUHAN, Allahmu, Dialah Allah, Allah yang setia, yang memegang perjanjian dan kasih setia-Nya terhadap orang yang kasih kepada-Nya dan berpegang pada perintah-Nya, sampai kepada beribu-ribu keturunan. (Ul 7:9)

Allah, yang memanggil kamu kepada persekutuan dengan Anak-Nya Yesus Kristus, Tuhan kita, adalah setia. (1 Kor 1:9)

Ya TUHAN, kasih-Mu sampai ke langit, setia-Mu sampai ke awan. (Mzm 36:6)

Tak berkesudahan kasih setia TUHAN, tak habis-habisnya rahmat-Nya, selalu baru tiap pagi; besar kesetiaan-Mu! (Rat 3:22-23)

jika kita tidak setia, Dia tetap setia, karena Dia tidak dapat menyangkal diri-Nya. (2 Tim 2:13)

Kesetiaan Allah itu dinyatakan dengan berbagai cara, antara lain:

Pertama, kesetiaan Allah dinyatakan dengan memelihara janji-Nya. Dia tak pernah mengingkari janji-Nya dan selalu menepati setiap perkataan yang diucapkan-Nya. Ulangan 7:9 yang dikutip di atas dengan jelas menyatakan kebenaran ini.

Kedua, kesetiaan Allah dinyatakan dengan menjaga dan memelihara kita dari segala yang jahat. Dia tak akan membiarkan kita dicobai melebihi kekuatan kita. Sebaliknya, Dia akan senantiasa menyertai kita dan memberikan pertolongan kepada kita saat kita mengalami pencobaan atau kesusahan.

Tetapi Tuhan adalah setia. Ia akan menguatkan hatimu dan memelihara kamu terhadap yang jahat. (2 Tes 3:3)

Pencobaan-pencobaan yang kamu alami ialah pencobaan-pencobaan biasa, yang tidak melebihi kekuatan manusia. Sebab Allah setia dan karena itu Ia tidak akan membiarkan kamu dicobai melampaui kekuatanmu. Pada waktu kamu dicobai Ia akan memberikan kepadamu jalan ke luar, sehingga kamu dapat menanggungnya. (1 Kor 10:13)

Ketiga, kesetiaan Allah dinyatakan dengan menyelamatkan umat-Nya dari kebinasaan. Dalam Maszmur 98:3 dikatakan:

Ia mengingat kasih setia dan kesetiaan-Nya terhadap kaum Israel, segala ujung bumi telah melihat keselamatan yang dari pada Allah kita.

Keempat, kesetiaan Allah dinyatakan dengan mengampuni dan menyucikan kita dari segala dosa dan kejahatan. Dia juga menguduskan serta memelihara hidup kita agar hidup kita tak bercacat pada hari kedatangan Tuhan Yesus Kristus yang kedua kali.

Jika kita mengaku dosa kita, maka Ia adalah setia dan adil, sehingga Ia akan mengampuni segala dosa kita dan menyucikan kita dari segala kejahatan. (1 Yoh 1:9)

Semoga Allah damai sejahtera menguduskan kamu seluruhnya dan semoga roh, jiwa dan tubuhmu terpelihara sempurna dengan tak bercacat pada kedatangan Yesus Kristus, Tuhan kita. Ia yang memanggil kamu adalah setia, Ia juga akan menggenapinya. (1 Tes 5:23-24)

Demikianlah, kesetiaan Allah nyata dalam segala hal yang dikerjakan-Nya. Bila kita sungguh-sungguh mengenal dan menyadari kesetiaan Allah, tentu kita akan dapat menjalani hidup kita dengan tenang. Kesetiaan Allah akan senantiasa menjadi penghiburan dan kekuatan bagi kita saat pencobaan dan kesusahan datang. Kita dapat bersandar dan mempercayakan hidup kita sepenuhnya kepada-Nya, karena kita tahu bahwa Dia tak mungkin mencelakakan atau berlaku curang kepada kita.

Akhirnya, marilah kita membalas kesetiaan Allah itu dengan senantiasa berlaku setia di hadapan-Nya, setia dalam iman, setia dalam ketaatan, setia dalam kasih, dan setia dalam pengharapan kepada-Nya.