Once Upon a Time

It's no secret that I am a sucker for fairy tales. My favorite fairy tale of all times is Cinderella. I remember seeing the movie for the first time; when she sang "If you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true" it resonated deeply with me even though I was just a little girl. From then on, I was a Cinderella fanatic.

My office is chock-full of Cinderella memorabilia, our wedding was Cinderella-themed and it's not unusual to hear me humming Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo. In fact, for Christmas my dad gave me a hand-crafted leather Bible cover with Cinderella on the front. It was made just for me by an inmate at the prison. (that's another story for another post) As much as I love Cinderella, though, I have to say that I was kind of disappointed when I saw that my mom and sister also got Bible covers but theirs were decorated with beautiful crosses and a Bible verse. I thought my Bible cover looked superficial and trite compared to theirs.

But then I found this verse:

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. James 1:12

Well isn't that just the perfect verse for Cinderella? She lost her mother without ever knowing her. Then her father died. And then endured jeering, teasing, and underserved punishment by her "evil" step-mother and step-sisters. She did it all with a smile and a song. In the end, she got the prince, a tiara and the happily ever after we all desire.

She was called Cinderella because, though the Disney version leaves this part out, she tended the fire, slept among the cinders, and was covered in ashes. Made me think of the Steven Curtis Chapman song:

Out of these ashes... beauty will rise

For we know, joy is coming in the morning...
in the morning, beauty will rise

This revelation really made me consider my Bible cover differently. Then just a few days ago, as I was closing my Bible, I realized that the Cinderella story is the classic example of a...yep, you guessed it, a transplant!


She was a rich baron's daughter who was transplanted into servanthood/slavery and then transplanted into the castle where she married her prince.

Tears literally filled my eyes as I realized that the childhood story I've clung to my entire life has been so much more. It's been a subtle message from God. We are all children of the Most High King. We are enslaved by our sin. But one day, the Prince of Peace will come and take us home to our castle in the sky. That's so much better than some silly glass slipper.

And I love my Bible cover more than ever now.

Transplantable

trans·plant   /v. trænsˈplænt, -ˈplɑnt; n. ˈtrænsˌplænt, -ˌplɑnt/

–verb (used with object)

1. to remove (a plant) from one place and plant it in another.

2. Surgery . to transfer (an organ, tissue, etc.) from one part of the body to another or from one person or animal to another.

3. to move from one place to another.

4. to bring (a family, colony, etc.) from one country, region, etc., to another for settlement; relocate.

–verb (used without object)

5. to undergo or accept transplanting: to transplant easily.

–noun

6. the act or process of transplanting.

7. a plant, organ, person, etc., that has been transplanted.


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Origin:

1400–50; late Middle English < Late Latin trānsplantāre, equivalent to Latin trāns- trans- + plantāre to plant



—Related forms

trans·plant·a·ble, adjective   This variation of transplant is particularly interesting to me. It indicates that not all things are able or willing to be transplanted. My plumeria, for example, was transplanted each year and this contributed to its growth because it needed more space for its roots in a bigger pot.  But some plants like the desertbells flower is not transplantable. It won't survive. This makes me wonder about our transplantability. I believe we are all transplantable. God does it to help us grow and thrive. However, sometimes our transplanting leads to a temporary period of non-growth, suffering or wilting. And then it begs the next question, if we resist transplanting by refusing to take a new job, move to a new place, serve in a new ministry do we become non-transplantable? I mean to ask you this, are you transplantable? Are you allowing God to transplant, prune and shape you for future growth?

trans·plan·ta·tion, noun

trans·plant·er, noun

re·trans·plant, verb (used with object)

re·trans·plan·ta·tion, noun

un·trans·plant·ed, adjective