I Want to be like Cinderella
If you grew up watching Disney Channel in the early 2000s, there was a song that became popular called, “Cinderella,” from the hit movie Cheetah Girls. The lyrics go as follows (feel free to sing along):
“I don’t want to be like Cinderella
Sitting in a dark, cold, dusty cellar
Waiting for somebody to come and set me free
I don’t wanna be like Snow White waiting
For a handsome prince to come and save me
On a horse of white, unless we’re riding side by side
Don’t wanna depend on no one else
I’d rather rescue myself”
As a independent elementary school girl, I sung that song, especially the chorus, with CONVICTION. However, a few years later, internally, I would be faced with a conundrum.
I realized that I did in fact WANT to be saved and I DIDN’T want to save myself.
The quest for a boyfriend was ongoing and although I wouldn’t vocalize it, I felt myself declining. As I observed others, it seemed as though that other people who were once in my same predicament were now in relationships that were helping them heal. I remember getting angry at God because WHY am I the one who has to heal by myself when others can be healed with relationships.
Fast-forward to last year, I started to consistently go to therapy and, as you know, was deepening my relationship with God. It was during this time, God hit me with the revelation: “You desired someone to save you, but I always wanted to be the one to save you.”
MINDBLOWN!
I wasted so much time being mad at God and feeling hurt by Him because I thought He wouldn’t send me anyone when He was trying to send me Himself.
If there’s anyone reading this, and you feel like life is becoming to much and you need a savior to pull you from the despair, to be patient with you and to be kind toward you, I’m here to tell you that you DO have that savior and His name is Jesus.
Exodus 15:2 (NIV) says: “The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” Isaiah 43:2 (NIV) says: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”
If you’re feeling ostracized, remember the man who was healed with leprosy (Matthew 8:1-4) and the woman with the issue of blood (Luke 8:43-48). The two characters were physically ostracized from their communities because of their conditions, but God healed them and ultimately, restored them.
I am a living testimony of how God’s grace and mercy will keep you. There were times when I thought about ending my life because I didn’t see the point, but God helped me to hold on. I didn’t realize it then, but God has literally been with me every step of the way, just as I know He has been with you. My therapist once told me that we were not created to be dependent on anyone but God.
