Jackie's Journey: Fairy Tales vs. Reality Part 1

Have you ever seen a REAL princess?

 Since the beginning of time there has been a battle of good against evil.  In our present day, we find our lives inundated with children’s books, novels, games, cartoons, T.V. programming and movies filled with magical fiction, romance, and fantasy with the all too predictable witchcraft theme and an evil, scary villain!  A point in fact is the new face of this fight found in the fairy-tale princess phenomenon.

The cry from the masses is met with a barrage of the supernatural and literary narratives brimming with dramatic imaginary story lines.  This particular genre with its fairy-like spirits in ethereal, heroic and monstrous forms is captivating to children, young people and adults alike.  Children are especially susceptible to its alluring charm because their worldview is literal, and this genre speaks to their inner understanding of spiritual reality.

In an earlier blog, “Character Marks the Life of a True Princess”, I talked about what a REAL princess looks like.  The mission of The Princess Parable Series is to introduce and encourage the disciplines necessary to step outside the fantasy and into the magical realism and authenticity of a loving and accepting God who teaches finding contentment in serving others, not in serving oneself.  Although written in fiction, each Princess story is based on fact.  It teaches a specific character quality in the name of its princess and takes the storyline from a Parable that was taught by the greatest teacher ever born.

All of us have spiritual needs (issues of pride, anger, rebellion, and selfishness, to name a few!) that are beyond ourselves, and we tend to try to fill the vacuum we feel with “make-believe”. We allow it to offer us a few moments of escape from the real battle (with good prevailing), if only momentarily.

Most of us acknowledge the struggle and know we are going to live somewhere forever, but have little understanding of the what, when, where, why and how.  The surge of fantasy-ridden books and films is an after-effect of this need and exposes a society, seemingly, without direction or defined purpose.

These five Princesses have been specifically created to put a functional tool into the hands of you, young mothers (urban, suburban, rural, stay-at-home, teen moms, single moms and married moms, grand-moms, aunts, and teachers) each with a different lifestyle, but all who share a similar desire to be the very best power of influence you can be! 

The passion to meet the need of every person desiring to cultivate what God has programmed into her “princess potential” has been a huge source of motivation for me. This passion allows each of us to nurture our little ones into genuine greatness.

As a grandmother, I carry a huge responsibility for the three princesses pictured above.  May I introduce you to Alexandra Grace, Megan Joy and Catherine? 

We, as women, have the power of influence, and God holds us accountable for representing Him and for our diligence in the success of these entrusted to us…our heritage.

What is your commitment to your heritage?

What steps of action are you implementing to see

your legacy live on

into the next generation?

Next Monday we will continue this challenge. Will you join me?

Jackie's Journey: Inspiring Imprints

As a young missionary mother reading to these two little ones sitting next to me in a hammock in the middle of the Panamanian jungle, my heart yearned for books that would introduce my girls to bible-based, character-emphasized prince and princesses that they could aspire to become.  I would take every book I picked up and purpose to impose these two principles into the pages in terms they could understand that had eternal values targeted.  My two daughters, Christina and Kim, are now grown and have given me seven grandchildren!  Christina encouraged me for years to sit down and put on paper what I did to the stories I read in those early years.  Her cry for these books for her four little ones was my primary motivation.

The opportunities are unlimited when it comes to God building His character in us, and then, into those we love.  Understanding the need and exercising the steps of action needed to see them implemented is our challenge.  When you look at your children where do you see their primary need?  Taking into consideration their temperament, maybe the need for them to be more alert or to respond more quickly in obedience?  Maybe rebellion is the issue or selfishness?  Where would you begin to help the little prince or princess in your home? 

 Values are based on the changing opinions of what people or groups of people practice in their principles or ideals.  Character is based on universal standards that are time-tested and recognized as being ethically correct.  Character is written on every person’s heart and conscience (Romans 2:15).  Even though the basic truth of a character quality is understood, it is important to know how to apply the truth in daily circumstances. 

I have collected positive character quality definitions for years because they describe pieces of the Godhead and assist in my personal spiritual exercise and transformation.  They equipped me to pragmatically instruct my girls as we walked through daily activities living in a culture very different than our own. In the village where we lived, the Kuna practice of polygamy and early marriages combined with witchcraft, including a village witchdoctor, opened up interesting teaching opportunities.

This past week the oldest of these two little princesses in the hammock saw her two daughters, my granddaughters (now 16 and 14), accomplish an extraordinary act of compassion in just a few days. I was asked to wrap a collection of gifts, gift cards and get-well cards with money that they had gathered to give to Alexandra’s teacher at school.  Her heart had been challenged to encourage this young single woman, who had recently left her parents and siblings on the East Coast to answer a call to serve in our community here on the West Coast.  She had taken a daily six-hour cancer treatment three months earlier and had quietly gone alone for the last six weeks, not wanting to burden or inconvenience anyone else.  During her follow-up appointment, the doctors found the cancer had returned…aggressively!   Alexandra tearfully shared with her sister, Catherine, the sadness she felt.  Catherine, who is the school’s “Kindness Club” director, immediately joined hearts and hands with her sister, their mother (Christina), and many who heard of the need. Within just a few days they had gathered a huge basket…full of encouragement for this teacher!  

We respond to life according to our character, good or bad.  Our wrong responses indicate our need.  Our correct responses validate our victories.  For me, this was a victory of gigantic proportion.  Three generations clasping hands to compassionately encourage a hurting heart! Princess Charity in our Princess Parable Series was faced with the same choice my granddaughter’s faced.  Webster’s definition of Compassion is  “together + suffering; deep sympathy, pity”.  1 John 3:17 says, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?”  Compassion is doing whatever is necessary to heal the hurts and meet the need of another.  Christ is the greatest teacher that ever lived and our example. His compassion for us carried Him to the cross!  Living outside our own self-life, being alert to another’s pain and choosing not to walk by without lifting a hand is our “Call to Action” this glorious Monday. 

These are the same two princesses pictured in the hammock …today!