God whispers to me through fairy tales. He whispers that there is another kingdom that I cannot see, but is more real than what I can see. The first time I heard this whisper was in the movie The Neverending Story as a child. It connected deeply with my soul, and I had it memorized after watching it about 40 times on the newfangled VHS technology at my aunt’s house. It was about a boy who is challenged to believe that the story in the book he is reading is real, and he has a part to play in that story. He struggled against the voices that told him to stop daydreaming and to only live with what he could see in the physical world. He ended up learning that not only did he have an important part to play in the story, but the story would also enter his reality if he asked.
The Neverending Story whispered to me that the story God tells in the Bible wants to leap off the page and into my life. The message that I heard that God only lives in the black letters on the page fought against this idea that He wants to be part of my life in 3-D and living color. I have a part to play in His story, and He will enter my reality to transform my world and me in ways beyond my imagination. He wants me to find His kingdom in my everyday life. Like on tax day when I don’t have the money to pay (I’d love to find the tax payment in a fish some day, Matt.17:24-27), how to love my husband when he is angry, and what to say to my pregnant teenager. God had very specific ideas of how to handle all these situations when I asked.
And the story of Cinderella? God’s kingdom messages burst through as I watched that (specifically the Disney live action 2015 version) four times in one week to listen for His whisperings through that story. My life has taken so many unexpected twists and turns, many painful and hard, like Cinderella experiences. I have lost a child to SIDS, gone through 2 major finances crises which resulted in losing our house one time, health emergencies and betrayals, among other things. Life can hurt so much! I have a choice to live hearing the identity that my Father (and mother, in the movie) gave me, that I can live with courage and kindness in the midst of sadness and hardship, or I can listen to the voice of the enemy that says I’m worthless and love isn’t free. I can become bitter listening to lies and try to control my own life, or I can have my darkest moments be transformed by meeting the Prince and allow Him to turn the dark to light in whatever way He chooses. Cinderella shows me how to remain beautiful in the dark times. And again, no matter what evil does to try to keep the Prince away, He will find me, and I get to stay with Him always at the end.
Like the characters in the TV show Once Upon a Time, I am a fairy tale character who has fallen under an evil spell and forgotten who I am. But God uses fairy tales to remind me of His invisible kingdom and who I am. That I, a King’s daughter, am part of a larger story that God is writing, and it may not go exactly like I want or expect. But if I choose to see through the eyes of His kingdom, it will transform me in ways far beyond my imagination. He will make me kinder, less fearful, more trusting of Him, and more loving of others, myself and God. And He will show me how to navigate all the circumstances life throws at me if I will ask for wisdom. And I have gotten to meet and know the Prince deeply and find how much He loves me. So I see fairy tales as an echo or reflection of the true story running under all of my life.