The Wrong Prince, at the Wrong Time, Doesn’t Make a Right Fairytale.

Why do we ache so longingly and so impatiently after what we shouldn’t? It’s like lying in bed, weeping away the dismal hours of despair because you didn’t get a chance to stub your toe on the living room couch. Or, it is like selling all the treasures that you own so you can buy a chewed up piece of gum that has been stuck under a chair for three years. Ridiculous, no?

This paradoxical phenomenon happens, for example, when you like a person you know is wrong for you…or eat a box of cookies when you are dieting…or put yourself in the way of temptation, thinking that you won’t be tempted…or fill your schedule up beyond the limits of any mere mortal, (all these which I am guilty of!) Why do we act so contrary to good sense? Maybe I am the only one. I stay up late when I know I have to get up early. I don’t read my Bible when I know it will make me feel better. I like boys who usually need rescuing, which for the typical DID (Damsel In Distress) doesn’t make for a pretty story when you have to go drag the silly, confused knight from the clutches of a dragon. It almost makes me want to leave him for the dragon to rough up so he might grow and learn a thing or two about life.

I guess sometimes even we Princesses need to be roughed up by a dragon or two so we understand the importance of good sense and patience. Metaphorically speaking, the wrong prince at the wrong time won’t magically transform into a beautiful story. Also, the right prince at the wrong time will not make a right story!  If we go chasing around all these ill-timed dreams it will eventually bode ill for our life journey. Some days, (okay most days) I get very impatient. All I want in this life is to be a mother, a wife, a creator of beautiful things—why can’t I have this now? How long must I wait? Why is God taking so long? Can I help nudge him along?

If I am thinking things like this, I am obviously not letting the peace and trust of God dwell within my heart. And after all, why would we ever expect our fair and loving King to give us the right gifts, at the wrong time? I must remind you, and me, that he does everything in his perfect time. Just as you wouldn’t give a baby the reins to a horse, our King wouldn’t give us a blessing we weren’t ready for!

I don’t know why we chase after things that are bad for us… I can only chalk it all up to us just being dumb, little humans. If you can explain it better or more eloquently to me, please do! But for now, take comfort in knowing that God has good and perfect things in store for you. It isn’t up to us to try and figure them out or even try to push them toward fruition… In the end, you wouldn’t have wanted to end up with the wrong prince, right? Of course not!! You would have wanted God to keep you safe until you were mature and wise enough to accept the blessing of the right gift at the right time.

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