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