This past month I {half-heartedly} participated in the Creativity Boot Camp put on by Madeline Bea. I would have liked to have done much more with it (and probably will go back and do just that in the near future) but until then, will be trying to participate more in The Sunday Creative that she is hosting.
And without further adieu… here is my entry for this week…
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An Open Heart {a fairytale}…
The little girl began paging through the Bible on the end table as she sat next to her grandmother in an oversized chair at the corner of the cozy living room. Suddenly she stopped and looked at the page more intently, then to her grandmother and back at the Bible.
“Grandma, why do you like this Bible verse so much?” the little girl asked.
“What do you mean?” the grandmother said.
“The words are highlighted AND underlined. That means it must be REALLY special. Mom only underlines the words in her Bible” the young girl explained.
The grandmother straightened herself up in her chair and began speaking softly. “Let me tell you a story.”
“Once upon a time there was a young woman who was fair and beautiful. She had much going for her in life… a loving family, wonderful friends and a job she was very good at. But she wanted to be much more than that. You see, this girl had already done some extraordinary things in her life – like travelling the world – but there was something missing. Love.
“So one day she set out on her journey to find love, only to find that she ran into setbacks and roadblocks all along the journey. She looked and looked for the person that would be her lifelong companion. But no one appeared. And eventually her heart grew dismayed and she settled into a life where she thought she would be alone forever.
“The young woman stopped looking for this companion and instead focused on learning more about herself and her faith. She began studying the Bible very intently and came upon this verse in Proverbs during her devotions one morning.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
“So the young woman continued her studies and learned that she had closed herself to the possibility of being loved. She had stopped trusting that God would provide a husband for her. She had stopped believing that was beautiful.
“But as she continued studying her Bible, she learned that she was beautiful and that God loved her. She found that God delighted in her adventures and was sad when she felt lonely. She continued to learn and wanted to keep learning more.
“And then one day her Prince Charming came along.”
“A prince… really grandma!?!” The little girl exclaimed.
“Well, he wasn’t really a prince. And even when this man came along, she wasn’t really interested in him as more than simply a friend. After all, she had been hurt before. But with the help of God, she had opened her heart to become a friend to him and trusting again. She began to share her hopes and dreams. She began to share her fears. The man did the same. They each found it so easy to talk to one another. They became best friends.
“Soon they were dating and talking more often, and then trust between them grew into love. Then one day, this man asked her to marry him.”
The little girl interrupted suddenly, “Oh grandma, that’s wonderful!”
“Yes, it was. And they did get married in a beautiful wedding ceremony with that verse highlighted. Because without trusting in God, the woman may not have opened her heart to the man. She may have looked past him when they met or not returned his call.
“40 years later, I still love your grandpa so much. He is still my best friend and God continues to show us new things… including the joys of having a granddaughter just like you.”
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