Prince Charming?

I wrote the following in a "You've Got Male"  segment of a tiny newsletter I send out to a few friends. It smacked me in the face this morning, similar to how the aftershave worked in the movie Home Alone, as I was re-reading some of the past newsletters. Misery loves company, so read it and see if you get smacked, too. (Oh, and do let me know that I'm not alone!) ...

What do we really know about Prince Charming? He seems to show up in the nick of time for all of Disney’s distressed damsels, but other than that, who is this guy? In between sets, what’s that dazzling charmer up to?

     I bet he wakes up in the morning with breath that makes his pearly whites shiver. Like most men, his hand probably reaches up and scratches the top of his ruffled hair, as his feet slowly move out from under the covers in search of those suede, rubber-soled slippers. After that, does he sit in the bathroom with the newspaper, waiting for things to happen, or does he mosey on into the kitchen and eat a bowl of soggy Cheerios?

     In every Disney movie we only get to see him with his hair slicked down to perfection, that well-behaved wave of hair adding to his sex appeal, erectly standing in his royal garb ( which would make any man look princely; kind of how tux’s do).  It all reminds me of the show we are so capable of putting on...!

     Prince Charming came to mind when I read Henri Nouwen’s devotional this morning. 

Listen: Forgiveness holds us together through good times and bad times, and it allows us to grow in mutual love. But what is there to forgive or to ask forgiveness for? As people who have hearts that long for perfect love, we have to forgive one another for not being able to give or receive that perfect love in our everyday lives. Our many needs constantly interfere with our desire to be there for the other unconditionally. Our love is always limited by spoken or unspoken conditions. What needs to be forgiven? We need to forgive one another for not being God! 

 

     Isn’t that great? Only God is perfect. His own love is unconditional, undeserved, unrelenting, unlimited, unending. 

     Husbands and wives can slick back their hair and don fancy outfits, but in the real world, hair gets mussed and ball gowns have to be taken off and washed!

    So, I’m thinking that it’s best to look for those princely moments in our day-to-day lives; those moments when our husbands dazzle us with a thoughtful deed or utter a charming word that makes our hearts all ‘atwitter, or even that they get up and go to work for us each morning! And for our part, let’s practice looking the other way when his crown is quickly slipping off his egg-shaped head. (Love does cover a multitude of sins, after all.)

     I don’t know what Prince Charming is like beyond the big screen, but I know what my husband is like. I want  to heed Mr. Nouwen’s advice and forgive Superman for not being perfect like God. And that forgiving spirit of mine just might pave the road to that elusive ‘happily ever after’ — for both of us! The End.

P.S. I just went on Ebay and purchased this doll. My hope is that it will be a vivid reminder that even us princesses can get swollen feet, ingrown toenails, bunions, etc, making that prized glass slipper hard to slip on. Yep, even we need to be forgiven that we are not perfect like Jesus!

P.S.S or P.P. S, whichever it should be—How can we forgive when it’s really hard to? By divine power! In 2 Corinthians 10:4 we are told that “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God.” While our carnal mind wants to pout, hold a grudge or two, etc, the power we have in Christ enables us to change that mindset -  and our heart-set -  and think according to God’s word.

Just thought you’d like to know how to forgive. Being married, it comes in handy pretty often!

But God demonstrated His own love in this:

while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

Romans  5:8