Prince Charming
03 February, 2013
I spent the last weekend on a wonderful retreat in Santa Barbara
where I heard a story slightly resembling this:
Prince Charming
Imagine that you're walking down the street hand in hand with the man of your dreams. He's tall, well-built, and has a smile that melts your heart. He's one of those guys that never talks about himself; his humble attitude is unmatched.
He pulls you close, whispering cute phrases in your ear. "Darling, you're beautiful. You're mine forever. You're absolutely breathtaking." He kisses you on the forehead as you walk along the sidewalk, and you've never felt more loved.
Looking ahead, you see another man strutting towards you. His pants are sagged, his cap is backwards, and his wife-beater tee has stains on it. He slowly looks you up and down with the most disgusted look on his face you've ever seen, and he starts to laugh at you, making you feel embarrassed and self-conscious.
The gangster turns to walk away, gesturing with his hand for you to follow. You reluctantly let go of your boyfriends hand and follow the bandit without looking back. You soon find out the man you've followed works as a pimp, and he forces you to sell your body, using you for money and draining your pride and emotions along the way. You find yourself in a hole of darkness with no way out. There's no purpose to live, and you realize no one could ever love you again after what succumbing to the life of a prostitute. Why did you ever leave your perfect match? What were you thinking?
Opening your inbox, you find a love letter from your real man, your lover, the one who made you feel beautiful, the one you'd do anything to be back with. The letter explained that he'd love you forever. It asked you to come home. "You'll always be his precious gem," it read.
Ripping the letter, you throw it out, knowing he'd never accept you after he found out who you'd really become. What kind of guy dates a prostitute - especially a classy, gorgeous man like him? He deserved someone just as flawless as him. There's no chance.
The following week, you open your e-mail again to find four more love letters. "Please come back to me, my love." Again, you delete them with tears running down your cheeks.
Sitting on your bed, the door opens for your next customer. By this time, your emotions are drained and numb, and your world is a sad nothingness.
Thrusting open the door, your beloved man majestically runs to you. With both hands, he lifts you off the bed, whispering "I know. I know everything. And it's time to go home," kissing you on the cheek for the first time in months. The elated sensation you feel in your heart is indescribable, and you feel your internal chains bust open. Walking out of the house, you freely walk past your pimp laying on the couch holding a bloody icepack on his nose, and you know that you're finally liberated inside and out, forever.
Jesus is always there to love us to no end, right? Then why, when we already have the perfect man, do we consistently follow the dark path of Satan? Jesus is more than just a name in the Bible, he's real. Jesus died so His Holy Spirit could rest within our souls, giving us love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5), while Satan's spirit feeds us evil lies that eat at our hearts, taking away the words that God has taught us (Mark 4).
Hold on to the grip of Jesus, and hold on tight.
xoxo p
