“And she reveled in the sorrow her curse had brought…”[1]
“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…” ~ Genesis 50:20
“But God will redeem my life from the power of Sheol…” ~ Psalm 49:15
“For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ~ Romans 5:7-8
(Again, this post contains spoilers of Disney’s 2014 Maleficent.)
In my last post, Maleficent’s wings are brutally taken, but her heart is not yet hardened. That is about to change.
With the help of her servant Diaval, Maleficent discovers that Stefan is now king. She had known of his ambition and lust for power. She had not known he would brutalize her to obtain it.
It is in this moment that Maleficent’s heart turns cold and hard. Her heart is broken, her body bruised, and her soul is crushed. And Stefan – who had promised love and protection – is instead the man who has deceived, wounded, and betrayed.
Sound familiar? It should. The king’s wife in Talia’s tale experienced similar anguish.
However, like the king’s wife, Maleficent can manage her grief and rage in silence…until Diaval tells her of the child.
Stefan – the man who took so much from her, the man who does not deserve happiness in the least – has the privilege of having a beautiful babe. It’s as if all of Maleficent’s pain doesn’t matter. It’s as if Stefan is being rewarded for his crimes. The abuser is lauded, the victim silenced.
It’s enough to make a woman go mad.
In Talia’s tale, the king’s wife intends to murder the children and feed them to their treacherous father; Maleficent’s revenge is no less sinister.
She appears in all her malevolent glory in Stefan’s court. Like Talia, Stefan’s queen tries to save her daughter by speaking with Maleficent. Like the king’s wife, Maleficent will hear none of it. She curses the infant princess with pricking her finger and falling into a death-like sleep.
And then, in a vicious stab at everyone’s heart, Maleficent gives a caveat: Aurora may be awoken by true love’s kiss.
Love. Something Maleficent doesn’t believe in. Something Stefan doesn’t believe in. Something the queen may not even believe in.
Like the king’s wife in Talia’s tale, we understand Maleficent’s rage, and even her hatred; yet we know what she’s doing is wrong. She’s crossed the point of no return…or has she?
There is a brief but poignant scene in which Diaval is watching his mistress descend into madness after the curse. You can tell his own heart is breaking on her behalf.
So it is when God sees our pain. He is not blind to it, even though – like Diaval – He seems to be silent. He is with us through the worst of things. Evil may occur in our lives, “but God” will always be there, seeking us out and calling us with His Love…
Sources
[1] Disney’s Maleficent, 2014
