February Devo - The Greatest Love Story

As Papa to three grandkids, I’ve read and watched a lot of nursery rhymes and fairy tales with them. I often finish these story times by explaining the real meaning behind them. Many of these wonderful parables feature a princess who has fallen short of her royal identity and destiny, usually because of some evil deceiver. But before the story is over, the dashing prince rescues her and brings her back to his palace. There they will live happily ever after, ruling the Kingdom together forever.

The obvious comparisons to the gospel message are usually intentional, as many of the original story tellers were Christians looking for creative ways to pass on their faith to their children. The sequel “Frozen 2” continued the theme of altruistic love and self-sacrifice, illustrated so beautifully in the first “Frozen” movie.  Mark Henn, the lead animator for Frozen, said this in an interview about the first film: “Christian families can use the movie to talk to their kids ultimately about honest, sacrificial love. We all understand that. The love of Christ is sacrificing His life because He loved us so much.”

Fifty-two years ago, a week before Valentine’s Day (I couldn’t wait), I proposed to the love of my life. Since then I’ve only scratched the surface of what it means to love her with all my heart, “just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). No one loves us as purely, as completely, as selflessly, or as unconditionally as Jesus does!

Because of Jesus, our Prince of Peace, we can have the same hope as Snow White, who sang:

Some day my prince will come
Some day we'll meet again
And away to his castle we'll go
To be happy forever I know!

It sounds too good to be true, but this story, the greatest love  story ever told, is no fairy tale. Just as surely as Jesus came to earth the first time, He will come again to claim His Bride – “some day when my dreams come true!”

Ps. Happy Valentine’s Day on February 14!