Childhood images of ethereal light.
Sweetly scented blossoms amid wildflower fields.
Satin ribbons & shining armor.
White horses.
...and storybook endings.
…
Many of us were raised having these stories read to us as small children.
And as we grew, we turned the pages on our own, in excited anticipation, all the while knowing how the story ended.
Our hearts and minds wrapped up in the imagery….
The beautiful princess.
The brave and noble prince. Words capturing themes of good and evil.
Struggle and power.
The kiss that saved her.
And Love…always winning in the end.
…
What does it mean to be a princess?
A princess is beautiful.
She is kind.
She will experience some kind of distress in her life, and does her best to overcome it. She pursues truth and justice.
And above all… she is cherished and adored.
In the knitting of our childhood memories, we often hold tight to the the hero ~
The prince ~ so captivated by the princess, he fights tremendous battles.
All that he might win her love.
And her heart.
As the years pass and we move through this world, our storybooks are often pushed aside.
We tend to forget those enchanting stories.
We see life before us. And it doesn’t look magical. The ‘happy endings’ seem to have been replaced by trials and trauma. Tension and loss eclipse the beauty and grandeur we imagined. Rather than wicked step mothers, fear and un-forgiveness hold us bound.
The plight of the damsel in distress takes the forefront, and seems to be perpetuated.
Chapter after chapter.
Without a prince in sight to save us, we are left feeling cynical about the text in those fabled narratives.
Bitter.
Our hearts dry and barren.
Parched from mistrust and unrest.
The fairy-tale world we kept close in our dreams is a thing of the past.
We look at the world we are in ~ it too, seems unimaginable.
The pain of war. The incessant fighting ~ separation and compartmentalization of humanity.
Our children poisoned by the detriment of greed. Their air, their food, their water no longer safe.
Worldly powers chain and conquer souls. We can feel surrounded by the insurmountable pressures of death and sorrow.
Where do we fit between these two planes of existence?
The magical elements of fantasy and the unfathomable rages of this physical world.
…
There is a place of safety from this spiritual warfare that we are entangled in.
A harbor of calm, if we choose it.
Our battles are being fought for us.
He promises in His Word.
Exodus 14:14
The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.
Yes.
Be still.
…
(PREFACE:)
Once upon a time…there once was a princess.
But she didn’t yet know that she was one.
She was a single mother, making her own way in this world. Her heart wounded from the many pains and injustices of the past. She was always on guard. And skeptical to trust.
Waiting and watching for people to hurt her again, she was exhausted from living this life.
…
(THE PLIGHT:)
She had lived for years, feeling strangled by the tension of antagonistic relationships in her own kingdom. One neighbor in particular posed great challenge.
He was too loud.
Too brash.
Respect and consideration seemed far from his vocabulary. Much less, his behavior.
Vandalism to her property.
Unkindness wounding her soul.
Rejecting his lifestyle and mean-spirited attitude, she found her heart often wrapped tightly with anger.
Despite her attempts to ignore his animosity, the repeated offenses began to smother any joy that she might have left.
Until the day she surrendered.
And took the next step in a new pair of shoes.
…
(RISING ACTION:)
You see…
The princess decided that maybe she was doing something wrong. That perhaps there was a better way.
So she talked to her Father, God – the King.
Feeling lost and uncertain, there was only one thing she hadn’t done yet.
She prayed.
“Father, you know my heart, for you made me. I am so tired of the ugliness that surrounds my home. I know that you have placed me here. But I am miserable! I have done what I know to change things. I have failed over and over. Please…if there is something else you want me to do, help me to see it.”
…
A brief time had passed, and that same neighbor came walking onto her parcel of land.
What?
Are you kidding, Lord?!
She was trying to find a place of peace after struggling to give up a long-harbored resentment.
Instead she found herself face-to-face with the offending party.
Holding her tongue, she asked God for the words.
“Hello (neighbor’s name) …such a beautiful day, isn’t it?”
She had certainly taken action contrary to her own desires.
She tried to walk, instead…in Light.
Taken aback by this kindness, the neighbor smiled uncomfortably and nodded as he continued to walk past.
God was softening her heart for what He was about to do…
…
(THE CAPSTONE:)
Just days later…
It was early in the morning.
The princess saw something swimming out toward the center of the lake.
The water rippling.
Was it a muskrat? A diving duck?
She retrieved her field-glasses (binoculars). What she saw made her gasp. Her heart skipped. It was her neighbor’s beloved dog.
Paddling in circles.
Old and virtually blind, he was confused and tired.
The princess jumped into the canoe and paddled out to try to save the dog.
She scooped him out of the water and wrapped his near lifeless body in a warm towel. He took his last breath. Bringing him back to shore, she knew she had to contact his owner.
Sigh….
…
(THE ENDING:)
Finding his phone number after years of distance, she called.
No answer.
She left a message, asking him to call her back. Shortly, her phone rang.
It was him.
She expressed her sympathy. Told him that she tried to save the dog but he had passed away in the struggle. She knew how much he loved his comrade. His friend.
“Thank you for calling me”, he replied.
A brief exchange of conversation.
An hour later the phone rang again ~ it was that same neighbor.
The brokenhearted person who was devastated by the events of the day. The hurting soul on the other end of the line. The one who loved his pets just as I loved mine.
…
“I can’t thank you enough for what you did. You didn’t have to do that, but you did. We have a lot of angry years between us, you know. Do you think we can start over?”
Redemption had won.
God’s grace flooded the space between us.
Caught by the beauty in the moment,
I responded in the affirmative.
What courage it must have taken for him to have made that call to me.
A prince in his own right.
My once cold and rigid heart, was now overflowing.
Gratitude for a second chance. Because of Christ’s triumph over death, we are offered New Life in Him. This was a new opportunity for love and tolerance.
Two neighbors could try again.
How about that for the Prince fighting our battles!
I was focusing so much time and energy on how we were different. This neighbor, and me.
But God used the one way that we were alike, to change my heart.
Through our congruent love for our pets, compassion emerged.
A once darkened and despairing relationship with my seemingly op-positional neighbor now held hope.
…
I never could have found this redemption without relinquishing my control.
When we fight for a cause, He fights for Truth and Light.
When we fight to hold on to unforgiveness, He fights to show us Peace in letting go.
When we fight to keep the hurt from entering, He fights to help us know the comfort of His Spirit.
For He is the true and Almighty Prince.
Our King.
So even in the despair of this sometimes unwelcoming world, it IS true!
The Hero came to save her!
Because He found her captivating and wanted nothing more than a relationship with her.
She discovered she was indeed a Princess!
Treasured and cherished beyond measure. His Perfect Love permeating every crevice of her heart.
A heart meant for beauty.
For Royalty in Heaven.
So when the distress of our world seems to be crushing your soul.
Be still.
And wait.
Watch diligently for the Creator of our hearts.
He fights our battles for us.
His Love ALWAYS wins in the end.
God has come to save us ~
All of the unrecognized and hurting princesses and princes of this world.
To give us a true and lasting
Happily ever After….
…
A special thanks to Jennifer and Kyle Stevenson for the beautiful princess photos of the sweet little girls in this post.
My Sweet Louise 
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