As a child, I loved fairy tales. Now I find myself in the land where fairy tales were created. I’m surrounded by castles with turrets and moats, walled medieval towns, lush green forests, snow-capped mountains, blue-green lakes, windowbox flowers showcasing white lace curtains, and neat stacks of wood outside quaint cottages. The pure, clean air is shared by plump rosy-cheeked grandmas wearing aprons, blonde-haired children, horses pulling carriages, even cows with floral wreaths around their necks.

The appeal of fairy tales is universal. They are our stories. We were all born with eternity in our hearts, created for something beautiful and pure. As in fairy tales, a wicked witch entered our story and cast a spell on the land. The curse fell upon us and much of the beauty became tainted with evil and tarnished by life’s disappointments. And yet, truth and beauty and goodness can still shine in the darkness.

As in the stories for children, there is someone who can break the spell. The darkness won’t last forever. There truly is a Prince Charming and He is coming to set us free from this curse. His name is Jesus. Someday, He will carry us off on His steed to our idyllic castle in the clouds, a home even more beautiful and perfect than the best earth can offer, to live with Him forever.

. . . And we’ll live happily ever after.