Fairytales

Fairy tales are often accused of painting false hope.   However, many of the fairy tales I have read tell stories of triumph over injustice, and the characters are just as flawed as us.  For example, Snow White may have been the fairest in the land, but I am convinced she may not have been the brightest.  If we look at the story from a different perspective we can see that she was a young maiden who happily lived with seven strange men.  I think because they were dwarfs, we process the situation in a much more accepting way, but they were definitely men—just little men.  It’s hard to know a person’s story from the outside looking in.  The thought that some people have it all is an illusion.  Dr. Cleophus LaRue once preached that the peacock may look like he has it all as he spreads his feathers and struts, but if you look at his feet you can quickly see that he too has a flaw. I am not implying that we should feel better knowing that others are imperfect, but rather that we should find comfort in the fact that we all fight to overcome bad decisions and involuntary weaknesses.  What God did for others He will do for you.  When you tell your story years from now, you will clearly see that a life of faith in a powerful God makes your story sound an awful lot like a fairy tale. Our God can do some pretty amazing things. “I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  (Philippians 4: 12-13)