Once Upon a Time ... And They Lived Happily Ever After

What makes a story a good story, in your opinion?
Adventure?  Action?  A lot of drama?  Joy and laughter?  True love?  The perfect romance?  Good triumphing over evil?

Lately, my new friends and I have become slightly addicted to the TV show "Once Upon a Time", (or commonly referred to in text messages as "OUAT").  My college roommate always watched it, and I saw one episode, but I thought it would be a silly fantasy that wouldn't interest me.  Little did I know, I'd get hooked on the story.  The combination of the familiar characters with added twists, the constant pressure to return home to one of the two worlds, and each character's pursuit of true love.

Don't you sometimes wish our lives were that exciting?
At least children do, when stories like "Peter Pan" or "Beauty and the Beast" inspire them to believe in something bigger than themselves and hope for happy endings with the "bad guy" going down.

Guess what, folks?  Good news!
We ARE part of a story.  A story of good demolishing evil, a story of true love in its purest form, a story of adventure, struggle, imperfection, growth, redemption, and victory in the end.
It's not fiction!!  It's the Greatest Truth, the Greatest Story ever told.  We are in a battle right now, between good and evil, in our choices, in our allegiances ... but God is the hero, and He wants ALL of us on His team.  Yes, that means YOU!  No matter your past, you can always join God's side.  And here's what else - the battle is already won!  God defeated death and the devil when He sacrificed His only Son, Jesus, to take the guilt and punishment for all of OUR sins ... and then He rose again and kicked death in the face.  NBD.  ((no big deal)) - NOT!   :)  And WHY would God do this for us??  Oh yeah - the motivation of almost all fairy tales: the prince pursuing Snow White, Pinocchio fighting to save Geppetto, heck, even Shrek "slaying" the dragon to save Fiona ... in the end anyway ... - True love!  God loves us sooo much, He wants us to be with Him, both now in our day-to-day lives and in heaven forever!!

We seriously get our "happily ever after"!  Probably not in this life - the world is broken by sin, but we're not finished with our "Hero's Journey" yet.  We will fall, but every time, Jesus will pick us back up again and steer us again on the path, if we let Him.  How do we join in this journey?  Simply believe that Jesus died and rose for YOU.  Then you are a child of God, a fighter on God's side of the battle, and an heir to heaven.  Ah so crazy but sooo true!  When you die, you will go somewhere.  Do you choose evil or good?  Choose good.  Choose God.  I mean, "God" and "good" have three of the same letters anyway - makes sense!  Haha.

You may be thinking, how can I ever be good enough to take this responsibility?  To live for God?  To be honored in HEAVEN?!  All you gotta do is be you.  That is enough.  We don't understand everything yet, or know God and His ways fully, and we never will, this side of heaven.  We are ALL imperfect human beings, but God chose to live and die for us anyway - and He made you you for a reason - so simply receive His payment, His gift of life for YOU.  He loves the world, but He loves us all individually.  Join the team.


So, despite my silly TV obsession, I take joy in remembering that everything comprising a good story initiated with a story that is true, and eternal.  And we're part of that story.  Win!

Be a hero in small ways as your part of the story - encourage someone else, use your talents for God's glory, do a random act of kindness for someone.  Ask God to live through you and make a difference.  He wins.


And one more thought!  If God is King of Kings ... and we are children of God ... Sons and Daughters of the King ... we are Princes and Princesses.  Teehee.  < And that was not a Rumpelstiltskin cackle ;)



"I'm an empty page, I'm an open book, write Your story on my heart ... let me be Your work of art ..." - Francesca Battistelli

"Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory." - Romans 8:17

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life." - John 3:16

" 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.  21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.  22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.  23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.  24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.  25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 

 

55 “Where, O death, is your victory?

Where, O death, is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 

57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

- 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 55-58

Architecture - Jonathan Thulin

There are a million mountains that I'd like to climb
to get a glimpse at the heart of your design
so here I stand here I stand on what you built
you are surrounding me and the walls
will never ever ever come down

CHORUS
You built me up like a city of gold
the battles rage but I'm standing tall
you formed my heart like an empire
the wind and rain can't stop this fire
if only I could see it from your perspective
the beauty and the grace of your architecture