June 1, 2007

Once upon a time, there lived a young woman named Rose Red, who was forced to be a slave in the very palace to which she had been summoned.  So many months before, the king had invited her to join his court that she might be made a true lady.  Some said that she might even be the one to whom the prince would be wed. 

Now, even as she stooped to scour the floor or cleared the ashes from the cooking grills, she remembered well how she had betrayed them. Her mind and heart were filled with memories of the day that she had received the mysterious gift from a person that she had never met.  It was a beautiful gold apple.  The note that accompanied it said that it was from a well-wisher and that anyone who ate of it would be destined to become king or queen.  The king’s son, Prince Joshua, had once warned her about such gifts, saying that gifts from strangers were perilous and that they often held hidden snares.  And it proved to be so.  For in the very day that she ate of the apple, she became convinced that royal garb was not only fitting for her, but that nothing less than the king’s own mantle itself was her due.  Eventually, desiring even to wear the beautiful crown that had belonged to the kindly king, she betrayed him to enemies in order to make it her own.

But even as she had committed her treachery and closed her fingers about the crown, it was yanked from her grasp and placed upon the brow of a wicked and selfish woman named Adikema, who called her self “Queen of All”.  And only after Rose Red was reduced to forced labor could she see clearly that Adikema had been the sender of the gift and the weaver of the deceit which had lured her into bondage.  And so she spent her days in bitter toil with nothing but aches and blisters as her reward and garbed in nothing but castoff rags for her clothing.

Adikema was, of course, very vain and delighted each morning in speaking to her magic mirror.  “Mirror, mirror, in my hand, who is the fairest in the land?” she would call to it.  The mirror’s face would ripple and swirl, and then tell lies to the false queen with all sorts of flatteries.  “My queen, do not worry and do not fret.  Thy beauty is the greatest yet.  There is no one so full of grace, sweet of sound, nor fair of face.”  Adikema would laugh with self-satisfaction and then go about the business of cruelly oppressing the people.

But being very vain, she was also very afraid of the return of the king and his son.  So, having heard that she was to be the beloved bride of the king’s son, Adikema heaped exceptional abuse upon Rose Red, hoping to twist her with bitterness and crush her with despair.  Little imps were sent to torment her, bringing with them their bags of temptations and fiery whips with which they could inflict pain and grief.  The names of the imps were Impurity, Idolatry, Hatred, Selfish Ambition, Jealousy, Rage, Discord, Persecution, Hardship, Trouble, Waiting, Sorrow, Trials, and Sacrifice.  They seemed to delight in causing anguish and hopelessness.  The temptation that they brought with them to totally despair, along with the guilt and shame that she already carried, were so utterly crushing that Rose Red did not believe that she could go on. 

And so between weariness and the cruel poison that coursed through her veins ever since she had eaten of the vile apple, the day came when her strength completely failed and she found herself slipping to the ground as the pallor of death crept over her once fair countenance.  But then from the shadows stepped the king’s only son, Prince Joshua.  Rose Red’s eyes caught sight of him ere darkness totally consumed them.  More than pain, she felt shame and her heart craved pardon.  And as she looked upon the face of the prince, seeing his purity and noble character shining through his kind eyes, she found that she also no longer cared for rank or special adornment; nor even healing for herself.  She longed only to see him enthroned, exalted, and honored.

The prince knelt beside her and lifted her feverish head.  He softly placed his lips to hers and kissed her, taking into himself, as he did so, all of the poison that filled her dying body.  Suddenly she felt new life again.  She knew that he had taken the sting of death from her and was bearing it now himself.  He touched her face tenderly and then he was overcome by death, his body slumping to the floor.

Then seven of her tormentors came to her privately and pulled off their hoods, revealing their true selves to Rose Red.  Suddenly she knew them for who they really were, seven small servants that she had assumed were of little consequence.  Yet these seven dwarfs had faithfully served their master for years beyond count.  Under the hood of Persecution was “Goodness”; under Hardship was “Gentleness”; beneath Trouble was “Peace”; from Waiting came “Patience”; Sorrow brought “Joy”; beneath Trial was “Hope”; and under Sacrifice was “Love.”

As they stood before her, they bowed.  “We’ve been sent by the king to come to you so that you might be made ready.”  After they took the body of the prince and laid him by in a glass coffin, they then began to care for her as she wept.  And any time the true servants of Adikema came to accost Rose Red, the seven dwarfs surrounded her and gave her strength and courage to stand against them, though all seemed lost to her and the victory of Adikema seemed complete.

But then, in the early morning of the third day, Rose Red’s eyes opened and gazed upon a glass coffin in which nothing lay.  She looked up and saw the Prince standing by, gazing down at her with tenderness.  He reached down and, taking her hand, lifted her up.  “Come and be my bride,” he said to her as she looked into his eyes.

“How can I?  I am a traitor.  I tried to lift myself up above you and the king.  I’m not worthy for I am not red like the rose, but red like blood… blood shed because of my treachery.  I’m the one who deserved to die,” she whispered as she hung her head and began to weep.  The prince simply replied, “But I took your place.  And now I’m alive again.  If you’ll trust me and will now consent to walk all the days of the rest of your life with me, your name will no longer be Rose Red, but will instead be Snow White for all your guilt will be washed away.”  She gazed up at him.  “Yes.  Yes, I do consent.  I will walk with you now and forever,” Snow White answered.

Adikema had been watching all these things with contempt, and knew that she had been defeated.  “Mirror, mirror, in my hand, who is the fairest in the land?” she uttered to the mirror as she gritted her teeth.  The mirror yawned and loudly sighed.  “Your beauty is painted on your skin; your heart is foul and black within.  But aren’t you tired of this game?  Only the Prince can make this claim.  If we speak of heart or hand, the prince is fairest in the land.  And as you see, he’s not alone.  Snow White now sits beside his throne.”  That very day Adikema was banished from the land, but the Seven Dwarfs remained faithful servants to Snow White ever after that.

So it is for God’s church, we who have placed our faith truly in the risen Son of God.  In trusting Him as our Lord and Savior, we no longer carry our sins, but have been washed clean and are now invited to walk with Him through life, experiencing Him and knowing that all our days are watched over by the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7).  And what of Persecution, Hardship, Trouble, Waiting, Sorrow, Trials, and Sacrifice?  We, as God’s children, also will find that they are sent to us that we might reap a harvest of Goodness, Gentleness, Peace, Patience, Joy, Hope, and Love.

(Thom Mollohan and his family have ministered in southern Ohio the past twelve years.  He is the pastor of Pathway Community Church, which meets on Sunday mornings at 455 Third Avenue.  He may be reached for comments or questions by email at pastorthom@pathwaygallipolis.com).