I have always loved fairy tales. One of them is a lesser-known tale called King Thrushbeard(1) (“Thrushbeard”) by the Brothers Grimm. What attracts me is the interesting storyline.
Unlike most fairy tales, the Princess in Thrushbeard starts out as a selfish, entitled snob.
She insulted every nobleman who came to the castle to ask for her hand. The Princess cruelly dubbed the last suitor as King Thrushbeard because of his slightly crooked beard despite his wealth and good looks.
Exasperated, her father vowed to marry her off to the first man who appeared at their castle the next morning. The first man happened to be a poor minstrel (King Thrushbeard in disguise). She was forced to live in a dirty shack with her husband and earn her keep as a commoner.
At first glance, King Thrushbeard seems like an unsavoury character. But if we dig deeper, was his motivation really vengeance? Why go through all that trouble to teach the haughty princess some manners? Did the King ever doubt that it would work out? Would she ever return his love? Does such a man even exist? One who is kind, loving, patient, wise and sees all his beloved could be?
A Sacrificial Love
The good news is, such a Man exists! He walked on the earth some 2,000 years ago and He continues to walk with us. He is none other than our Lord Jesus! The King in the story may be admirable, but our Lord is much much more!
For our sake, He, the King of the Universe became poor. He chose to be born to a teenage peasant girl. He was born in the lowliest of places, a stable, because there was no room for Him. He grew up in Nazareth, a little-known village.
From being omnipotent, He became a helpless babe, subject to human parents and human frailties. In the ultimate act of love, He willingly became the sacrificial lamb so that we could become adopted children of God.
A Fairy-tale Ending
Back to the fairy-tale. During the “taming” period, King Thrushbeard stayed with the Princess, choosing to sleep on the cold hard floor of their humble hut. He became a pauper to journey with her. He even entrusted his royal guards to secretly ensure her safety when he went about his kingly duties in the day. His actions must have been out of pure love. He had loved her too much to let her continue in her wayward ways. Such love also made him very vulnerable.
As King Thrushbeard witnessed the Princess’s transformation daily, and heard good reports of her from his men, he must have been delighted with her. He probably rejoiced secretly over her growth and looked forward to bringing her to his real home for a wedding feast.
On the night of the wedding feast, the Princess was far from angry when she learnt the truth. Instead, she felt unworthy to wed the King as she reflected her past attitude. She was probably mortified and humbled before the King. As she looked back to connect the dots, she realized that all the trials she faced were a necessary evil to purify her. She loved her new self, more than the old one that she had cast away. The King assured her that all was forgiven and affirmed his love for her. They wedded and lived happily ever after.
We Never Walk Alone
From the Princess’s point of view, it must have been scary to be married to a virtual stranger. Yet, all the time, she was being kept perfectly safe by the royal guards without her knowledge.
So likewise, even though our Lord has ascended, we are not left alone but gifted with the Holy Spirit and our guardian angels, strong sentinels who protect our souls. Though we cannot see them, they are here to guard and guide, to lift us up lest we dash our feet against a stone. We never have to walk in the valley of darkness alone.
However, just as we need to turn on the faucet to enjoy clean running water, we must choose to abide in our Lord to enjoy His presence. As we learn to live a life in Christ, the bad stuff, the trials in life would have to get through Him before they reach us. He has to allow it and He would not allow us to be tested beyond our strength. This means that we can accept any situation as being from the hand of God. Even the ones that come from people who mean to harm us. For the Lord has made everything for a purpose, even the wicked for the evil day. As St Paul had said, “For God can make all things work for the good of those who love Him.”
Ironically, when seen this way, the perpetrators become unwitting instruments of God’s grace instead of a thorn in the flesh. We need not fear men. “For if God is with us who can be against us? For neither life nor death, angels or principalities, powers, things present or things to come can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
He is our bridegroom, who has gone ahead to prepare a place for us and He will return for us. While on earth, we could still enjoy this blessed union with Him by saying, “Lord, I want to abide in you, help me to abide.”
Behold, He is knocking at our door today, stretching out his nail-pierced hands, aching to take away our burdens. He thirsts for our love. He wants to be the King of our hearts. Do we have room?
Shared by Rosalind Tjioe, a bookworm and amateur gardener who finds wonder in God’s creation.
Reference:
(1) King Thrushbeard story https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm052.html