There once lived a very happy king and queen. All across the land, the queen was known for her beauty. The king loved his wife dearly, not just for her lovely face and flowing hair but for the regal beauty that flowed from within.
After a number of years, the queen began to ponder the thief of time. She worried that when her looks faded, the king would no longer love her. Questions of “how long?” and “what then?” swirled in her thoughts until one day she could stand them no longer.
The beautiful queen retreated to a castle tower to await the inevitable. Every day she sat in a hard wooden chair, peering at her reflection in a mirror to try and catch the first signs of age. The poor king was beside himself and visited every day. But the queen was so preoccupied with her fear, she could think of nothing else. Nothing anyone said or did made any difference. Days turned to weeks; weeks turned to months.
“The queen’s face remained as beautiful as ever. But the king’s love could not stay the course charted by his wife’s fearful heart. His love began to diminish with every minute of every day that the queen stayed in the tower, until at last the morning dawned when the king awoke and discovered that his love for the queen was altogether gone. And in this way, the queen’s own actions brought about the result she had so feared: The king no longer loved her.”*
Where’s Your Focus
What story are you mentally rehearsing today?
Is it the story of what you truly desire – a story of hope and trust? Or a story of what you don’t want – a story of doubt and fear?
Just like the queen in the fairy tale, we are responsible for where we focus our thoughts, whether we realize it or not. What you focus on eventually shows up in your everyday reality. When you focus on fear, it grows. When you focus on how big your God is, faith grows.
The quality of your story determines the quality of your everyday life. So choose your story wisely today!
*fairy tale source: Winter’s Child by Cameron Dokey