Someday My Prince Will Come

Little girls love the idea of being a princess. It's not wholly unappealing to big girls, either, when we're honest. Before I knew that I was expected to be indignant about the idea of waiting for my prince to come, I had a collection of my own fantasies that involved being adored and rescued and carried off by my true love on his invariably white steed. Somewhere along the way, those sweet girlish dreams were discolored with the misapplied stains of individualism and feminism. I would not squander my time waiting for a prince who could not possibly exist, mistakenly believing that I had no greater purpose than that! Silly, outdated fairy tales from an era long gone. . . .before we knew that womyn were strong and complete in themselves and that a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.

And if I were to pin all my hopes for a happily ever after on the arrival of a Prince Charming who is just as fallen and weak as I am, then it would, in fact, be prudent to let go of my juvenile daydreams.

But what if the old stories were not ever meant to set us up for disappointment in this life, but instead, to point us to the next?

As a grown woman, I find now that it is all true! I have been adored and rescued, and one fine day I will be carried off. . . .by my valiant Prince on a white horse, no less! He loves me with an everlasting love and, inconceivably, has been in love with me since before I was willing to give Him the time of day! He rescued me from the stony grip of death and did so with no less than the sacrifice of His own life. But His love for me is so vital and exorbitant and, frankly, improbable that it literally toppled the natural order of the universe and conquered death itself! He lives again! He has promised that He will return for me, as a rider on a white horse, with the armies of heaven following close behind. His eyes will be like blazing fire and on His head there will be many crowns.

It turns out that my Prince does exist after all and that my whole purpose was indeed to find my happily ever after with Him, despite the misguided attempts to discourage me. It's not surprising to discover that my childhood longings were closer to the heart of truth than my grown-up theology has ever been.