"Once Upon a Time"

Once upon a time they said,

You never knew just when,

But those were the beginning words,

That always drew you in.

They told us those old fairy tales,

And in them they contend,

With an evil witch or villain,

And a princess to defend.

Odds got long and dangerous,

And it almost was too late,

But then at the last moment,

A sudden twist of fate.

There always comes a hero,

With a sword and big white steed,

To fight when all the hope is lost,

And remedy the need.

And soon the villain’s vanquished,

The fair maiden saved, secure,

And the prince is loud applauded,

And relief is strong and sure.

And happily ever after,

Is how the story ends,

And you have a peaceful feeling,

That’s what the tale intends.

I gotta say that sometimes life,

Doesn’t follow that same script,

And if that’s your expectation,

You’ll likely lose your grip.

And that’s because the bad guys,

Sometimes win the day,

And the hero gets distracted,

Things don’t turn out okay.

But lest you think I’m cynical,

In spite of what I see,

I know the Bible tells the truth,

About what soon will be.

Our hero will come riding,

On a horse of brilliant white,

To conquer every enemy,

With His sword of holy light.

And happily ever after,

Is what heaven sure will be,

When every foe is beaten,

And God’s Kingdom all will see.

So maybe those old fairy tales,

Hold more truth than lie,

To point us to God’s hero,

And our home beyond the sky.

‘For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out His anger on us. Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when He returns, we can live forever with Him.” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, NLT)

Once upon a time God sent His Son into the world to die for our sins and be raised from the dead. One day He will return as this world’s judge. But we need not fear because we have received His grace by faith . Whether we die before He comes or we are alive at His coming, we will live with Him happily ever after. It’s the most wonderful news the world has ever known! Let us celebrate and share it, in Jesus’ name.

Lord, help us share the story, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Jason Rich, used by permission. Thanks, Jason, and God bless you.