The Fractured Fairy Tale: Redefining the Truths about Life

As I was reminiscing with a long-lost friend about the days of old, she made the comment, “you had the fairy tale life.”

It made me laugh. You outta see my fairy tale now, I thought. The prince rode off with another princess and the white picket fence lies fractured in the mud. Oh and that castle? Well, let’s just say there has been some pretty drastic downsizing.

But in that moment I realized that she was right. I HAD the fairy tale life. Or at least I was living the fairy tale that I had hoped for. I had worked hard to make all the right choices so that my life would be exactly how I wanted it. Never mind that I had never REALLY asked God what fairy tale He wanted for my life. Never mind that the fairy tale was empty and unconditional love was missing.

On the outside, I had the fairy tale life. I was a stay at home mom with beautiful children that I homeschooled. I was active in our church groups, a member of the orchestra, and leader of Bible studies. Most importantly, I wore the title, “WIFE.”

I think this is why I nearly fell apart when the fairy tale did. It was my dream. My hope. Everything that I had spent the last 30 years trying to orchestrate. Everything that had motivated me to pure behavior, good grades, and smart choices. Any yet, none of that mattered.

Trouble was there were some key things that I didn’t understand about fairy tales. You see, any plan that involves another person is bound to end up in a different direction that you originally planned. I mean, let’s look at Adam and Eve. Unless God wanted to MAKE them love him, He had to let them make the choice. And that is the cost of real love. We must love, knowing that they other person has the right to make a choice NOT to love us.

Kinda far from the fairy tale I grew up hoping for.

I think this is the reason why my kids have never seen Cinderella, or most of the other princess related fairy tales. It’s also largely the reason why we limit screen time. Because in my generation, the thinking of the world (primarily through seemingly harmless media) shaped what I believed about myself, what I believed I had to have to be happy, and what I believed about God. And even at 30 something years old, I’m still battling the lies.

You see, we’ve got much of life all wrong: our thinking about the purpose of life, what love is, who God is…oh I could go on and on. We’ve got it all messed up. Not that there is anything wrong with being a wife, getting good grades or trying hard to achieve something. That’s not the point. The problem is that our end destination or goal doesn’t match the REAL fairy tale.

Friends, I think it’s time to redefine the fairy tale. Only in Jesus can we find happily ever after. It’s a promise!

So how about you? What lies have you believed and what truths have replaced them?