My Cinderella Story

As a little girl, I was told many Bible stories, like Adam and Eve, Jonah and the Whale and Noah’s Ark, right along-side with the classic, Disney’s Cinderella and Snow White.  I was fortunate enough to have loving Christian parents who taught me about God and the Bible and even though the stories of the Bible resembled fairy tales, they weren’t. They really happened. They were God’s miracles. On the other hand, Disney stories were fairy tales. Somehow, I knew the difference. I knew Jesus was real and Santa Claus wasn’t. (Sorry, for those of you who believe in the jolly idea of a fat-bellied, old man flying around on a sleigh). Even if there were such a character, not a single one of us would get a gift, based on Santa’s criteria…we’re all naughty.

I was relieved to learn that Snow White didn’t exist, primarily because I couldn’t believe her step-Mother could be so evil to send orders to cut her heart out and put it in a box. (Really?! Why is this a children’s story?!?) Cinderella, however, a story every little girl loves about a princess being rescued by a prince, was not as easy for me to accept as just fantasy. I wanted to believe in a prince charming on a white horse, that would whisk me away, have babies and live happily ever-after in a castle on a hill. That’s all I ever wanted.

The Bible reveals a lot about Heaven and I’ve always wanted to know as much as possible about God and all those crazy Bible stories. I did a lot of reading and learned quite a bit as I grew older, but it wasn’t really until these last 10 years of my life, that knowing about Him, was not nearly as good as knowing Him. I’d go to church & try to be a good person, only to fall flat on my face in a puddle of muddy failures, wondering how I got there. The clock would strike midnight and I’d find myself in rags, surrounded by broken pumpkins and shattered dreams, just like Cinderella. But instead of crying out to some false fairy god mother, I learned to call out to God, the Father. And He showed up, every single time; and He still does. Though, I don’t always recognize that He is there, I can be assured by His Word that He is. He reaches down, pulls me out of the mud, cleanses me with His love, wraps me in grace, feeds me the truth, quenches my thirst and restores my soul. I was an undeserving pauper, covered in filthy rags, yet there He was, the Prince of Peace, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, embracing me as His spotless bride and the things of this earth grew strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.

Today, I look back and see how I went from knowing about God to KNOWING God. A relationship; the most important relationship of my life.  He chose me. He is my God, my Savior, my Lord, my Abba Daddy and the lover of my soul. No pumpkins, no mice, no magic wands. He, alone is my heart’s desire and when that final hour strikes, I shall dwell in the House of the Lord…Happily ever after.

“And as the deer pants for the water, Lord, so my soul longs for you.  You alone are my heart’s desire and I long to worship Thee. You alone are my strength, my shield. To you alone, may my spirit yield. You alone are my hearts’ desire and I long to worship you.”

As the Deer is a well-known praise and worship song by Martin J. Nystrom, a native of Seattle, Washington. Written in 1981, this song is based on Psalm 42:1.

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