A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that as a child I created a marriage formula based on fairy tales. I wanted to add that I do not blame fairy tales for my misconception of how I thought earthy romance was supposed to play out. I actually defend fairy tales. They hold some great truth in them.

Fairy tales get a bad reputation. We love the stories, but we refuse to accept them as reality. We have broken hearts, broken marriages, and little hope for any “happily ever afters.” So when we encounter those inspiring tales, we brush them off as foolishness.

But I want to make a bold statement: fairy tales are real. Fairy tales are founded in reality. Our spiritual reality. Think of the main plot of a fairy tale: A prince boldly comes after the bride he loves, ready to sacrifice all in order to save her from the evil that threatens to destroy her forever. Does that sound familiar?

If you dissect the main themes of a fairy tale, you’ll find that those stories point to something incredible: God’s love for us.

Fairy tales have a damsel in distress – someone who needs to be rescued from evil. The damsel is us:
“Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live.” – Galatians 1:4 (emphasis mine)

Fairy tales have a prince – the damsel’s savior – who usually rides on a white horse. That Prince is Jesus:
“Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for He judges fairly and wages a righteous war… On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.” – Revelation 19:11, 16

Fairy tales are about good versus evil. Good prevails. Evil is destroyed. Our good and true God will prevail over the world’s evil adversaries:
“In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue, will arise. He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy those who are mighty, the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.” – Daniel 8:23-25

“Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies.”
– Revelation 19:19-21

Most of the time, the theme of a fairy tale is “true love conquers all.” The LORD is our True Love. His love will conquer anything that tries to separate us from Him:
“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:38-39

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16

And finally, fairy tales have a happily ever after. Guess what? It exists. Our happily ever after is eternity with the Lord, free from all pain and suffering. We will spend eternity with the One who passionately loves us:
“I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, ‘Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.’” – Revelation 21:3-4

Believe in fairy tales. They’re quite real. But remember to keep your eyes on what the stories point to. They don’t point to how our relationships on Earth look, but instead, they reflect the incredible story of God’s love for us.