On Wild Swans, Queen Esther, and How the Evil Meant to Harm Us Gets Turned into Something Beautiful
Do you remember your first storybook? I do. Mine was a little blue book with gold trim, filled with stories by Hans Christian Anderson. Somewhere along the line it was lost. But just before we were married, my husband gifted me a new edition of my blue storybook. Truly one of the most life giving presents I’ve ever received. My favorite tale in this collection is The Wild Swans. I can’t quite put my finger on why it hasn’t grown in popularity like some of his others: The Little Mermaid or The Princess and the Pea. Maybe it is because the story actually has a happy ending that didn’t need to be adjusted by contemporary storytellers to fit contemporary audiences. You may not know it, so I’ll share this favorite with you.
The story begins with a princess. But of course. She is as good as she is beautiful. The princess is driven out of her kingdom by her wicked stepmother. She is dedicated and self-sacrificing, enduring excruciating pain in order to break the curse bestowed upon her brothers who have been living half lives as wild swans. She is exiled, kidnapped, falsely accused and nearly burned at the stake before revealing her work to save her brothers. Of course, she is able to rescue her brothers, break the curse and have a handsome prince fall deeply in love with her in the end. Yes, this is a fairy tale, but as we know, the good ones hold some truth about the character of humanity. There are several parts I really enjoy, but one of them is the bit about the toads.
The princess is getting ready for the day but in her bath there have been smuggled three cursed toads. One to sit upon her and cause her to trade her beauty for deformity, one to cause unwellness in her body and one to sit upon her heart to bring wickedness to her soul. Yet, upon touching her, because of her beauty of form and spirit, the three toads transform into flowers! Seriously? Hans! You are telling me that beauty and goodness foiled the curse!? Yet again?! Well, I’ve already written about curses, so I’ll skip over that bit. Here’s the thing…this is a picture of how being good and righteous has a way of turning the evil intended for us right back into something beautiful. Trust me, I’ve lived it. But that is a story for another time.
This fair maiden reminds me of another beautiful lady: Queen Esther. Yes, we’ve heard of her audacious courage and authenticity. Of her breathtaking self-sacrifice in saving her people. And more importantly: being used by God. No matter the scale, it’s the being used by God that I can’t emphasize enough. Do not be beguiled into thinking that her task was more important than yours or mine. It came down to being faithful and obedient. Mordecai said it: if not through you, God will do it without you. Even setting aside the other bit of his warning, just that alone is enough to make me cringe when thinking about some of my own responses to my precious Lord. When I give up on being strong in the Lord, when I seek out my own desires…Oh to miss Him working with my life for this purpose! Heartbreak. Oswald Chambers made a similar remark when he said that God wants us to partner with Him! God can do it without us, but He wants us to be a part of His glorious work.
Back to our imagery of beautiful goodness overcoming an intended evil. The lovely, strong, wise, courageous Esther confronted the king with graciousness and humility to save her people and turn the tides on the wicked Haman’s plotting. It ended with the enemies of Esther’s people receiving the fate that was intended for them! Do not doubt, my friends, from where that goodness and righteousness originates. You guessed it–God.
As it says in Deuteronomy, “Do not be afraid of them, the Lord your God Himself will fight for you.” Esther had a guardian and champion as a source but also a companion to her own integrity. Similarly, the heroine in Anderson’s story had strength, determination, self-control and love. Against all odds she saved her brothers and herself. If you are reading this, I dare say you have those qualities too and perhaps you wonder if holding onto the softness makes you a target. Well, it might. And yet, the Spirit of God cultivates those qualities, and walking with Him will cause them to grow and grow in the midst of Him being our strong tower and our rear guard. When something comes at us that means to harm, deform, or harden us, what if we stay soft?
We stay with Him.
I believe we can find that path. So, the next time evil comes our way…let the Spirit do its work, confront the king and turn those toads into blossoms.
References and Inspirations:
Andersen, Hans Christian. The Wild Swans. Originally published 1838. — fairy tale featuring the princess and the cursed toads.
Chambers, Oswald. My Utmost for His Highest. Discovery House, 1927. — on God’s desire for us to partner with Him in His work.