I used to want a Fairy Godmother. I thought it would be great to have someone who would wave her magic wand and make my dreams come true. But Fairy Godmothers only exist in fairy tales, not in real life.
My parents raised us with a strong work ethic. We were expected to help with chores and we all took turns washing dishes. Our mom even had a schedule posted in the kitchen showing who was supposed to wash dishes which day. The only days we could be sure we didn't need to wash dishes were our birthdays. We were brought up that if you had a job, not liking it wasn't an acceptable reason to quit.
As I think about it, there's no sense of accomplishment in having someone else solve all my problems for me. (I'm talking here about human help, not receiving help from God.) Sure, it would be convenient if I suddenly woke up one morning and had a million dollars in my bank account. But having it come seemingly out of nowhere wouldn't be the same as if I'd worked to have that much money in my account. Not that I'll ever have a million dollars in the bank - I'm just using an extreme example.
In one of my favorite versions of a Cinderella story - Ever After - Danielle received help from Leonardo Da Vinci, but there was no Fairy Godmother. She met Prince Henry all on her own and they fell in love naturally. Da Vinci only stepped in to help when Danielle's stepmother prevented her from attending the ball. When she was sold to an odious older man near the end of the movie, she rescued herself from his clutches before Henry could get there. Danielle and Henry found their happy ending without any help from a Fairy Godmother.
I won't turn away from help other people want to give me. For all I know, God may have laid me on their hearts. I'm not too proud to accept help when I need it, just as I enjoy being able to help others when they need it.
I may have wanted a Fairy Godmother when I was younger, but I don't want or need one anymore. I can stand on my own two feet, thank you very much.
Note: Contrary to popular belief, the actual movie quote that inspired the title of today's entry is not "Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges." Actually it's "Badges? We don't need to show you no stinkin' badges."
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