Some people believe that if a movie or story is not explicitly Christian, it should be avoided at all costs. I have found this to be a rather disappointing endeavor. You see, I have found that God is in everything and uses everything for our good, even that which was intended for evil. I want to share with you a piece of my childhood that brought me closer to God in a way I never could have imagined. It starts with a dream and Cinderella.
Cinderella is my favorite Disney princess. I remember dressing up as her for Halloween. I think that almost every girl would love to fall in love with a prince and be swept away by him. That is the romantic side in me coming out. However, we find something to the nature of humans when we look at this story.
When I was a little girl, I dreamed of falling in love with a prince and living happily ever after. It was certainly a dream that I wished for many nights. I dreamed of how he would look and sound and talk. I dreamed of the ultimate man for me. But what was I really dreaming of? Could that man really exist? No. I was not in love with a man. I was in love with an idea. That idea, perhaps a little encouraged by Disney princesses to be sure was that there was a man out there whom I would fall in love with and even through trouble, he would be perfect towards me. Ladies, I don't know if you're in that place but you need to snap out of it. It is ridiculous to expect anyone to be perfect, including yourself. Humans are beings which live in sin not perfection.
I came to find this truth in that humans, we are utterly sinful and despicable. What is lovable about us? Yet we read the greatest love story ever! Not only that but we are part of it! What love story do I speak of? The Bible. What love story is grander? How many stories do we hear where the hero is thought to have died but comes back to life or something clever and saves the day? That is an idea that is a couple thousand years old. But how can we get to the daylight without going through the darkness? How can we appreciate the light without knowing the coldness of the dark? We are creatures living in darkness. Picture yourself in rags, filthy, and forever slave to an overbearing master. That master is sin. We know nothing else. But our hearts desires come forth in dreams.
Inside of everyone of us is a child dreaming of something other than darkness. Cinderella dreamed of a true love who would take her away from her nightmarish condition. When I was a child, I saw this and my heart replied with a similar dream. I felt an a feeling of being alone that no parent could cure. In fact, no human can cure it. Cinderella really did sing a song that was more true than I wonder if the Disney creators had imagined. Perhaps they did. Perhaps they didn't. The point of the matter is that my heart desired to be loved purely and true without anything in return. I have had people claim to love me only to abandon me for their own selfish desires and it has been difficult to trust people sometimes because of this. But what answer do I have to give to counter the sinful nature of humanity?
Love is the answer I give. And no. This is not just my romantic side coming out again. It's true. Does Jesus not say to "love your enemy" and "love your neighbor"? (Mat. 5:44 and Mat. 22:39). When Jesus was persecuted and crucified, he chose to let himself suffer. He gave up his divine rights. In doing so, he saved us from our sin. This is an ultimate act of love. So, while my heart desired perfect love as a child, it still does. I simply know what love it was longing for, the love of a savior. That savior is Jesus Christ. Does this mean that romance is over here on Earth for me? No. I'm sure Jake will be pleased by that. What I am saying is that Each of us are like Cinderella longing for the love of Christ to fill us up. He does not leave us in the darkness. He searches for us and like our dear Prince Charming, will not rest until we are found. He is the good shepherd. Yet will we turn to him? He is knocking at the door and waiting. What does He want? He is saying He loves us and wants to know if we love Him too. Do you?
Love Always, E. K. Donaldson
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