I am the father of a four-year old princess who loves to dream of adventure, romance, rescues, celebrations and weddings. She is not embarrassed at all of her desires for "a prince to come" and a "happily ever after" to follow. Age has not yet jaded her to the harsh realities of life. In her young mind, no evil can overcome her prince and steal her "happily ever after."
In time, her desires will be battered, perhaps crushed, by the unending waves of life's wounds, sorrows, and rejections. Perhaps she will end up bitter and cynical. It is my desire, however, that she will never lose hope in the hidden realities found in her fairy-tale dreams. Though life is certainly no fairy-tale, the dreams and desires expressed in fairy-tales are undeniably real. What she longs for has its counterpart in reality. Once upon a time, her Prince prepared to rescue her from danger in order to win her heart and grant her a happily ever after in his eternal embrace.
Nicole Johnson has captured the desires and dreams of women in her book, 
Keeping a Princess Heart In a Not-So-Fairy-Tale World. Without succumbing to sentimentality, Nicole demonstrates how the fairy-tale stories of our youth touch upon the very real desires women possess. We all long to be Cinderella (the mistreated beauty rejected by others but pursued by a prince), Sleeping Beauty (the captive beauty waiting for life-giving kiss), and Snow White (the outcast beauty who raises a family of dwarves). However, we never imagine "Cinderella on the Stairmaster trying to keep those thighs firm" (p. 10), or Sleeping Beauty waiting up all night for her prince to call, or Snow White dealing with behavioral problems from her dwarf family.
After feeding on a diet of princess stories in our childhood we are surprised when the prince who comes (if he comes at all!) is less than heavenly and the "happily ever after" never quite arrives. Life in the "real world" does not seem to match the dreams and desires of the fairy-tale world. This can lead to disillusionment and despair - the complete abandonment of our childhood desires. In order to keep a princess heart in this not-so-fairy-tale world, one must realize that we are surrounded by "an invisible kingdom that can only be seen with the eyes of the heart" (p. 22). There is much more to life than meets the eye. It is this truth that fairy-tales capture so well.
Fairy-tales touch on the "deepest longings of a woman's heart: the desire to be known, the longing to be loved, and the yearning to see that all will be well" (p. 31). These three longings are met in Christ - the Prince who longs to know us and be known by us, who loves us and longs to be loved by us, and through his great search and rescue mission brings us to a true "happily ever after." The things we longed for in fairy-tales are true in Christ. We must not lose hope that these things are realities even though our cold world makes it appear otherwise. This is why we need fairy-tales - to remind us that our deepest desires and longings are not without purpose, but guide us to the only One who can ever live up to the name, Prince.
Someday your prince will come. He will sweep you up in the wonder of his love. He will not leave if you get sick. He will not make you do all the work while he watches TV. He adores you like no other. Every other love does disappoint us to a certain degree. But this love is different. This is the Prince of heaven, and your heart was made for his love (p. 82).
© Richard J. Vincent, August 18, 2003
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