Let's talk about story....'You is kind. You is smart. You is important.'

Once upon a time......the beginning of fairy tales of every stripe....and the first indicator that what you are reading is not intended to be taken literally.  Fairy tales of princesses and wicked witches and gremlins in the forest are not factual and in fact, are sometimes mythical. They often capture something primal, like our fear of the dark and the unknown that awaits us in the deep dark forest.  They are cautionary tales (like Hansel and Gretel) and heroic tales (the boy with his finger in the dike) and tales that reassure us (such as the rescue of Rapunzel).

Fairy tales are limited in their usefulness.  At some point we need to realize that we are not Cinderella, that no handsome prince is coming to make us happy ever after, and wolves cannot eat grandma and then spit her out again alive.  If our expectations of this life are based on fairy tale endings a lot of us are going to be disappointed.  If our self-image is built around fairy tale descriptions then a lot of us are going to be unhappy. If we sit around waiting for a handsome prince to rescue us, we will wait in vain.

Motivational speakers have had a handle on this forever.  When you use a mantra like "I am capable of great things" you are simply shortening your story and using it to shape your perspective and attitude from day to day.  Remember how the maid in The Help continually told the toddler she cared for "You is kind.  You is smart.  You is important."  She knew that the family surrounding that little girl was writing an entirely different story for her; she was not going to have that story of failure be the only story in this little girl's life.

This is what God is saying to you, "You are beloved.  You can be a part of changing the world."  Hold on to that today - 'I am beloved of God'   and see what it brings for you.   More tomorrow.