Glass Slipper

"For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland." Isaiah 43:19 NIV

The prince watches her as she enters the room. The last chance of the glass slipper fitting and his dreams coming true lie within her shoe size.

He is transfixed. His gaze never wavers. He can't take his eyes off of her. Would her heart be a match for his?

She hesitates and wonders "Would who she was really be enough? That is perhaps the greatest risk any of us will ever take—to be seen as we truly are (Cinderella, 2015)."

"Who are you?" He asks. He thinks he knows the answer, but he lets her choose to give the reveal.

She answers plainly. Simply. "I am Cinderella."

It is no mistake that she does not reply with the name Ella alone. She is making a statement; one she hopes will be worth the risk. Ella stands on the threshold of Hope. She lets the prince see the good and the bad. If he is going to have her, he should have it all. She knows it's dangerous. The cinders have followed her through the years and she has started to believe it. She carries the ashes of yesterday in her name and in her heart but she is willing to lay them down if only he will have her.

She thinks upon his question and responds thoughtfully. "You're majesty, I'm no princess. I have no carriage, no parents, no dowry. I don’t even know if that beautiful slipper will fit. But if it does, will you take me as I am—an honest country girl who loves you?" (Cinderella)

The prince's heart fills with joy. It was what he had been waiting to hear all along. "Of course I will. If you'll take me as I am."

I love this scene from the recent Cinderella movie. And even though it is probably what every girl longs to hear, I don't love it for that reason. I love it because when I hear the words, when I imagine the significance of them I don't see Ella and Kip.

I see mankind and a Savior.

I see me in the presence of My God.

Play it back with not only ears to hear but with your heart.

The Prince of Peace, the King of Kings watches as we enter the world. He is transfixed. His gaze never wavers. He can't take His eyes off of us. Our hearts are created uniquely in His image and He can't wait for us to discover that.

Who are you? He asks waiting for us to move into His presence. He longs to wipe away the cinder and reveal a new creation. He holds the ashes of our yesterdays and our masterpieces of tomorrow. If only we give all of it to Him.

We come to Him unsure; full of excuses. I am not perfect. I have messed up. I come to you with brokenness and fear. I don't know if you could ever love me like this. But if you do, will you take me as I am? Cinders and all?

His heart fills with joy. It's what Jesus has been waiting for all along. He looks at us lovingly and assuredly. "Of course I will. If you will take Me...with all you are. All your heart. All of your life. After all, I loved you first and My love has always been there for the taking."

The scene moved me when I saw it. It is both beautiful and triumphant. It is our story of grace. With God the glass slipper is a guaranteed fit. Christ extends the invitation of accepting us as we are and making sure we don't stay there. He redeems us for sure and for certain. And I can't imaging a better beginning to a story.

Only Hope-"Be kind and have courage"

*The quotes found within this post are from Disney's 2015 Cinderella. In their own words, "See the world, not always as it is, but as it could be…with a perhaps a little bit of magic." (;