A Lesson in Obedience.

On Saturday, I finished reading Ella Enchanted (my first book for the summer reading challenge).  30 points already!  Wooooo!

My copy of Ella Enchanted!

Here's the synopsis found on Goodreads:

At birth, Ella is inadvertently cursed by an imprudent young fairy named Lucinda, who bestows on her the "gift" of obedience.  Anything anyone tells her to do, Ella must obey. Another girl might have been cowed by this affliction, but not feisty Ella: "Instead of making me docile, Lucinda's curse made a rebel of me. Or perhaps I was that way naturally."  When her beloved mother dies, leaving her in the care of a mostly absent and avaricious father, and later, a loathsome stepmother and two treacherous stepsisters, Ella's life and well-being seem to be in grave peril.  But her intelligence and saucy nature keep her in good stead as she sets out on a quest for freedom and self-discovery as she tries to track down Lucinda to undo the curse, fending off ogres, befriending elves, and falling in love with a prince along the way.  Yes, there is a pumpkin coach, a glass slipper, and a happily ever after, but this is the most remarkable, delightful, and profound version of Cinderella you'll ever read.

Gail Carson Levine's examination of traditional female roles in fairy tales takes some satisfying twists and deviations from the original.  Ella is bound by obedience against her will, and takes matters in her own hands with ambition and verve.  Her relationship with the prince is balanced and based on humor and mutual respect; in fact, it is she who ultimately rescues him.  Ella Enchanted has won many well-deserved awards, including a Newbery Honor. 

I thoroughly enjoyed Ella Enchanted.  I have seen the movie countless times since it was released, and I enjoyed seeing the differences between the two.  Ella is such a modern role model for girls and young women.  She is intelligent and articulate.  She is resourceful.  Ella is not afraid of things bigger than she.  She's faithful to her friends.  She is selfless concerning those who mean the most to her.  And she can kick some ogre butt!  (That was probably my favorite part!)  And like the Cinderella fairytale, she meets the prince and falls in love with him, although in a unexpected way.

Then there's her obedience.  Ella has been given the gift of obedience by Lucinda, which turns out to be a curse instead.  Ella is obedient because she has to be, but, in her own way, she defies every command.  I'm not sure what this is supposed to teach children today about obedience, though...

This book got me asking myself, "Am I truly obedient?"  I try to be, but honestly, it's not something that I'm concerned with in my daily life.  Sure, I obey the speed limit and various other traffic laws.  I'm more or less obedient in the workplace, always working the amount of hours expected of me and doing the things that I should be doing.  I'm even obedient in my spiritual life: I tithe like I'm supposed to, I go to church like I'm supposed to, I help and love others like I'm supposed to.  


But what I don't do is probably what I should be doing: reading my Bible on a regular basis and praying.  I want to be obedient, I truly do.  God wants me to be obedient.  I am extremely grateful that I am not Ella.  I am not forced to be obedient.  I have the choice.  We all have the choice.  And obedience is hard sometimes.  Doing things that we don't want to do or that wasn't our idea is just hard, in this age of independence and individuality.  But I do want to be obedient to my Lord and Savior...so maybe this isn't a question of obedience as much as it is a question of discipline...

Romans 5:19 says "For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous."

I know that I was born a sinner, but it continues to baffle me that because of Jesus's obedience to God, I can become righteous in the eyes of my Lord.  If Jesus can obey God and die on the cross to save me and you from our sins, then why can't I obey God the way I should?  Just a little food for thought...