Once upon a time there was a lonely princess. This princess wasn't used to living alone. Her prince was out slaying dragons that kept threatening the kingdom. Not only was he smart, strong and brave, but he was the best knight in all the land. Every night the princess would climb to the very top of the castle's highest tower and look out the window. She would search far and wide to see if her prince was on his way home. Most nights she saw nothing. Sometimes she would think that she saw him coming on his white horse, but then it would turn out to be a daydream. Every night she would pray for his safe return and she would wish on every star that that time would come soon................
I have no idea why I wrote that. The idea has been floating around in my head for a few weeks. Sometimes I wish life could be a fairy tale. The kind that ends with "happily ever after". Then I started thinking about some of the fairy tales I knew. Cinderella came to mind.
She was beautiful, had a beautiful voice and could communicate with animals. She lived in a castle, went to a ball, meet a handsome prince and got married. And she live Happily Ever After. But wait...I skipped the whole horrible middle. Cinderella didn't live a perfectly charmed life. Both of her parents died when she was young, she was made to be a servant to a mean step-mother and step-sisters in her very own home, she was treated like garbage and her only friends were mice and birds. Yet throughout the whole horrible middle of her story she maintained a joyful heart, a song on her lips, and hope that one day her prince would come.
Cinderella didn't cry, kick her feet and yell, "It's NOT fair!!" She didn't sit and sulk, and ask "Why me?" Her attitude, hope and optimism lead her to her "happily ever after"
I don't know about anyone else, but I would like to skip all the horrible middle stuff and get right to the "happily ever after" Even though I know that the horrible middle stuff can make you the stronger person you may become, it would be nice to just get the good stuff without having to go through the pain, work, and tears of the yucky stuff. I say enough of the "it builds character" train of thought! I think I have built enough character to last me 3 lifetimes. Bring on my happily ever after!~~Now that's a fairy tale.
Well, I'm going to take my cue from Cinderella and keep looking up--to God for strength, keep a song of praise on my lips and in my heart, choose to live joyfully, never give up hope that "this too shall pass" and put my trust and hope in God.
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
AWESOME. Absolutely awesome.
ReplyDeleteKeep sharing, girl, even when it's hard - you have a story that no one else can tell, and you are making an impact where no one else can. Your prince isn't the only hero!!