Myths, Allegories, Fairy Tales, and Truth

I love stories. I love to read stories, watch stories, but most of all, I love to hear stories. Growing up, my favorite times were when my Mom or Dad would let me snuggle up onto their bed and read The Chronicles of Narnia, The Best Christmas Pagent Ever, Little House on the Prarie, Evangeline, or Pilgrim's Progress. Family vacations were another time when Dad would pull out a book like Hank the Cowdog to read around the campfire. Those are classic memories for me.

My love for stories is not limited to nostalgia, though. Stories have transformative power that provide insight into some of life's most difficult obstacles. While I've never entered another world through a wardrobe, or survived long winters in a log cabin without running water or electricity, these experiences as detailed in stories, can be strikingly parallel to my own journey.

I just finished reading Waking the Dead. I love how John Eldridge uses the Truths found in classic fairy tales to illustrate three main points: "Things are not what they seem," "this is a world at war," and "you have a crucial role to play." How badly I want to believe those things! There has to be more going on here than meets the eye. I often feel like days are a constant battle. The idea that I am just another girl with hopes and dreams but no predestined plan or purpose is just depressing. I am convinced of these truths, and I have experienced them through stories. Not to say that I think fairy tales are based on true events or that mythologies about Greek gods and goddesses are non-fiction. To some degreee, however, I think that the reason people write these stories and the reason that we (the audience) are so captivated by them is because we know, deep down, that there are elements of hidden Truth in all of them.

That third point, that I "have a crucial role to play" in this world, is the most appealing to me and the most frightening in some ways. Nelson Mandela, as quoted in Waking the Dead, stated that our greatest fear is not that we are worthless, but that we are powerful beyond our wildest dreams. The idea that I have a crucial and unique purpose brings with it a deep sense of responsibility. What if I miss my chance? What if I miss my opportunity to do my job? What if I take on my task and fail? Even worse, what if I perform my duties well, and have to take on more responsibilities than I ever wanted? Maybe that's selfish. I guess, in a way, this whole discussion is. The point of John Eldridge's book is not to encourage people to dream big dreams of power, fame and wealth, but to convince people that finding life's purpose and seeking truth begins with engaging your heart with the Lord. Christians so often believe that the heart is evil, fickle, irrational, and deceitful. But the Bible says to "guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." When Christ died for me to save me from my sins a give me eternal life, he gave me a new heart and a new life. My actions reflect what I believe with my heart, so I should protect it, fight for it, take care of it. How do I do that? I've often heard that verse, but I'm not really sure how to follow those instructions. My Mom told me to guard my heart in regards to a dangerous boyfriend, warning me not to fall in love with him. There's more to it than that, I think. I don't think that guarding my heart means hiding it behind a wall or burying it, refusing to love or care - that's not living at all. So what is this all about?