Once Upon a Time

Fairy Tales seem to be enjoying a bit of a renaissance at the moment. Well certainly for the adults that is. Fairy Tales for children have always been in vogue. But over the last couple of years, fairy tale after fairy tale have been retold in a movie. From Snow White and the Huntsman, to Maleficent and now Cinderella, the classic fairy tales all undergo a revamp to appeal to the “grownups”.

Essentially though, the story remains the same. To quote Miss Prism from “The Importance of being earnest”, “The good ended happily and the bad unhappily.” There can be no messing with the end of Fairy Tales. The Princess ends up with the Prince. The Kingdom restored to former glory and well the bad guys….it ends badly for them.

It seems that the beauty and magic of a Fairy Tale never grows old. Heroes, Heroines, great feats and acts of love and courage, a bad guy to conqueror are the key ingredients.  Ingredients for a great story. But fiction, a tale nonetheless.

Yet here I am, living right in the middle of my Fairy Tale. Living in the reality of a true story. The ingredients are all there. Heroes, great feats and acts of love and courage. But I’m not wearing a tiara (I wish!) , I don’t have glass slippers or a ball to attend, but I’m a star in this story. I’m one that a King pursues and saves.

Yes, I am a part of the greatest love story ever, as are you! The true story of a God for His people.  And across the ages, we see time and time again His intent and love for us. The rescues, the healings, the miracles. We see a God, a King, so kind, so good, so loving that He would construct the best rescue plan possible to rescue His Bride. He would send His Son from Heaven into Earth undercover as a baby, to ensure that we could get home to Heaven.

The twist in this story is that the plan includes the sacrifice of His Son – Jesus for us. That Jesus would die for us. And while this would turn most Fairy Tales into a tragedy more like a Shakespearean play, it does not end there. Jesus rises again, victorious and having conquered sin and death, and we are free. Free now to be partakers of His inheritance. Free to live a life of peace, of hope, of love through the grace of Jesus.

Free to live Happily Ever After.