We don’t contaminate Christ with our brokenness, He makes us clean through His glorious presence! Sheila Walsh
I confessed yesterday that I love the story of Cinderella, which i find to be a great allegory of the Kingdom.
I believe love is the central theme, around which brokenness, humility, ashes & grief swirled in an attempt of the enemy’s to snuff out the light shining in Ella.
Her position of beloved daughter was crushed by her cruel stepmother & harsh stepsisters.
Not content with making her their servant, they ridiculed her and made life even harder for her…naming her Cinderella, to remind her of her new position in the household, no longer daughter, but servant.
But the lessons Ella learned as a child at the feet of her loving father (and in the new Disney movie, her loving mother) lingered and refused to be completely snuffed out. Her kind nature and gentle manner were daily choices she made in response to the harsh circumstances she found herself in.
And when she couldn’t take anymore, grace stepped in and gifted her with revealing who she really was, despite her horrible living conditions.
A princess on the inside.
Worthy of the best, to wear the dress, to not only meet royalty but destined to become royal.
Fear rose up and caused her to flee, but her Beloved moved heaven and earth to find her, for she was His counterpart, and He would have no other.
He not only restored her dignity, but elevated her with His love. Her background did not matter except to highlight her true character.
She was meant to be His.
And so are you.
You too may feel like Cinderella, like you are too dirty from what is going on to approach your Prince. You nay be beaten down by harsh words, stuck in a job you’d rather not be working at, be on your own struggling, have difficult family to deal with, or feel dirty from the weight of bad choices or sin.
God doesn’t care where you have been. He is more than enough to set you free, clean you up, heal you inside and out, and make you His. His goodness is not muddied by our sin, just the opposite. His goodness chases the sin and grime away, until the real us is all He can see.
I have said it before, but i need to hear the reminder again myself:
I am a Princess in His eyes.
As Jesus is the Prince of Peace, the Son of the Most High God, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, then the Bride He is pursuing? He reminds her that her shoe, the design He has for her, will fit in His hands and with His love accompanying her, always.
When we become His, we all are changed in His site to the beautiful ball gowned princess. He clothes us in white, and sets us beside Him at His banquet feast, at the marriage celebration He is throwing to celebrate we are His!
Once we agree to be His, our past only serves to contrast where we are headed to with Him. It is to remind us how far we have come, and how much we need to stay in relationship with our Prince.
Our Prince is not slumming when He chooses His bride.
He made us so exquisitely, just so, each one of us. Together we make up His heart on the outside.
The Bride He has always longed for, hidden across time until he awakens us through His love.
The Prince not only rescued Cinderella from her old life, he completely set her free from it, into a new identity, her true identity.
He broke the chains that bound her, and released her into the freedom He had in store for her once he found her.
Jesus offers the same loving hand to us.
Like the Prince in Cinderella, He does not plan on stopping His pursuit of His bride, ever. Until she is complete, and 100% whole.
It is His love that brought her to life again. His love which freed her. His love wanting to cherish her. His love He desired to spend the rest of His life sharing with her.
It’s His life that will bring you to life again. His love which will free you. His love wanting to cherish you. His love He desires to spend the rest of His life sharing with you.
This love passionately & permanently moved heaven & earth to find you. His love will always triumph!
If He says the shoe fits, it does 🙂
And since He lives for eternity, what a happy ever after we have in store for us!
KARLA LEES 