March 15, 2015

Fairy Tales and Jesus

I love fairy tales. I have since I was a child.

My favorites were Rumpelstiltskin and Cinderella. I would sit by our record player and listen to these stories over and over. What I got out of them helped shape me as a person.

Rumpelstiltskin taught me who I didn't want to be. Remember, children are smarter than you think. They know when somethings isn't right. And I knew something wasn't right with Rumpelstiltskin.


He was this person who always promised great things... but with a price.

If you do this, you'll get that. If I give you this, you must give me that.

Have you ever been given a gift with strings attached? The giver having alternative motives to get something back from you?

This is who I don't ever want to be. Instead I want to be like this...

Jesus said:

"And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full.

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked."   Luke 6:34-35

The Lord is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. I love that! This leads to one of my other favorite fairy tales.

Cinderella.


A kind and humble girl. Someone who put others before herself and lived with grace and kindness towards others even in her difficult situation.

And she got to wear a pretty dress to the ball. : )

By the way, the new movie is wonderful. If you love fairy tales go see it, take your daughters, they will benefit from the message to 'have courage and be kind.'

Of course no one is as kind and humble in real life, as Jesus. And I want to be more like Him.

"All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,

made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus." 
                                                             Ephesians 2:3-7

Joni's Thoughts on Fairy Tales

I thought I'd share this excerpt from Joni Eareckson Tada's book, 'A Place of Healing' where she shares her thoughts on fairy tales.

I really loved what she had to say. : )

"All of us have special books that have been handed down to us, and I'm no exception. I'm thinking of a big red book of fairy tales that sat on a shelf in my sister's bedroom. It had beautiful end pages, and each story was illustrated with lots of detail.

To this day, if you were to ask me what the Pied Piper looked like, I could give you an exact description - all the way down to his funny hat and pointed shoes. Even when I see twisted oak trees, I think of the color plates in this big red book of fairy tales.

And oh, what wonderful memories! I can close my eyes and hear Daddy coming upstairs in the evenings to help us girls get settled in. He'd open up that book and read to Kathy and me. Hansel and Gretel...Goldilocks and the Three Bears... Little Red Riding Hood... Billy Goats Gruff. (Does anyone ever read these stories to children anymore?) They were classic stories of good and evil, and the best part was always near the end of the story.

My father's voice would slow as he read those final, heartwarming words: 'And they lived happily ever after.' It meant Hansel and Gretel lived, and the old witch died, Little Red Riding Hood survived, and the nasty old wolf was banished. The goats had the run of the pasture, and the old troll was never seen again. It's wonderful to live happily ever after.

No matter how young a child is - no matter what he believes about God and heaven - every boy and girl instinctively knows what 'happily ever after' means. You don't have to teach them about it. Children seem to know, they realize that this world is full of wolves, trolls, and big bad bears. They're aware that things aren't quite right, that something's wrong with the world, and we all want - we long - for that time when we will live happily ever after. When the prince will finally kiss us and we will wake up from this strange dream and enter true happiness and joy forever and ever.

Sounds rather biblical, doesn't it?

That's because it is.

The book of Ecclesiastes says that God has put eternity in the heart of man. We can't exactly put our finger on it, but it's there, all right. This itchy longing for eternity... this wanting everything to be 'okay'... to live happily ever after.

That's why faith in Jesus Christ is so satisfying, so fulfilling. For only in Christ is every longing fulfilled, every hope realized, every yearning for peace and well-being finally answered. In Christ is the culmination of that classic struggle and the defeat of all things evil, when our wonderful Savior will right every wrong, and the Prince of Peace will be our King of Kings.

There is a happy ending ahead. I can almost hear His footsteps on the stairs. Jesus, come quickly!"
*If you like fairy tales, you may enjoy Melanie Dickerson's fairy tale series. She adds a Christian twist to these beloved stories, as well as deals with spiritual warfare. I've read the first one, based on Sleeping Beauty, and really enjoyed it.



Buy the series HERE on Amazon


26 comments:

  1. Love this, Cathy, and thanks for sharing that excerpt from Joni's book. It's true, fairytales do prove the longing of the human heart for God to set things right, once and for all. Wonderful analogy! It puts fairytales in a fresh light. :)

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    1. I really enjoyed what Joni had to say too. Thanks for stopping by Gwen!

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  2. Thank you for sharing your heart with us at Good Morning Mondays and reminding us of the good ending in life when we believe in God. Blessings

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  3. Praise God for the happy ending we have forever after when we trust Christ! Linked up with you at UNITE -- hope you'll stop by Saved by Grace for a visit!
    God bless,
    Laurie
    http://savedbygracebiblestudy.blogspot.com/

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  4. Love this! What a creative and inspiring post. So glad I found this on the Women With Intention Link up.

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    1. Glad you stopped by Cheri and enjoyed reading my post!

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  5. I want to go see the new Cinderella - it looks beautiful and fabulous! But my 7-year-old girl is super sensitive and I worry the death in it will make her dwell on sadness she doesn't need from a movie. Hopefully one day I'll get to watch it with her. Thanks for linking up at #ThreeWordWednesday.

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    1. Yes, it may be hard on a 7 year old. The mother's death is very sad, as well as the father's later in the story.

      Thanks for stopping by Kristin. : )

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  6. I really want to see the Cinderella too. I am so glad I read your post today. I love the creativity and tie in to fairy tales and lessons related to Jesus that we can draw from each.

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    1. It's a beautiful movie. With a beautiful message. Hope you enjoy it!

      Thanks for stopping by. : )

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  7. Aw, I love this. I believe that there is so much in this world, in our culture even, that is touched at the center by the gospel and we have the unique ability and privilege as Christians to find that gospel truth and share it with the world -- open up the stories to the real story. (found you through Lyli's link-up)

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    1. I love stories that shadow the gospel. Though many fairy tales probably weren't meant to when written, I can see the desire for an eternal happily ever after in many of them. It's written on our hearts.

      "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end." Ecc. 3:11

      I love this.

      Thanks for stopping by Alyssa!

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  8. I love this post. You gave me such a different perspective on these childhood stories and I love it.

    Thank you for that,
    Celi

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  9. I enjoyed your perspective on fairy tales. I didn't know that there is a new Cinderella movie--sounds like it has a clearer message than Frozen. Thanks for sharing the quote from Joni. Blessings!

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    1. Glad you stopped by Carol. I really enjoyed the Cinderella movie. It had a beautiful message for little girls everywhere. To be kind and have courage to stand up for what is right. : )

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  10. This is such a great post, and I was glad to find your blog on the Weekend Brew because I also review books and LOVE to read.

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    1. Thanks Michele. I love others book reviews. I'll come by and check out your blog soon.

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  11. I, too, am a fan of the fairy tales that echo biblical truths. Thanks for this lovely post.

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  12. The passage in Ephesians is one of my favorites. I'm not a huge fairy tale person, but I do love the Lion, Witch and Wardrobe books and the Lord of the Ring books.

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    1. I'm enjoying the Narnia series too. I've got just one more to read! Haven't read the Lord of the Rings but loved the movies.

      Thanks for stopping by Debbie. : )

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  13. Great thoughts today! I love fairy tales too because of the happy endings. Isn't wonderful that we are promised a happy ending with God? Blessed you shared at The Weekend Brew.

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    1. Yes, it's wonderful! Thanks for stopping by Mary. : )

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Feel free to leave your own thoughts in the comments. I try to respond to all of them by the end of the week. : )