Esther and the Dragon

“There is a treasure to be found in fairytales.”

“There is always a time as grown-ups when we need to return to fairytales.”

C.S. Lewis

Building Sandcastles

In a land far away in the time of castles and kings, and knights and dragons, there lived a little girl named Esther. Esther was unlike any other girl her age; she didn’t play with dolls or dream of one day becoming a princess. Nevertheless, she was a very special child who was gifted with much creativity and blessed with an amazing and merciful heart.

Esther lived within the castle walls of a mystical castle by the sea, and every day in the cool of the morning all the children in the castle would go down to the seashore loaded with their pails and spades to build sandcastles. The boys would make swords out of driftwood and pretend to be knights battling for the honor of their king, and the girls would, of course, pretend to be damsels in distress just waiting for their knight in shining armor to come and rescue them from a perilous

plight.

Although Esther loved to build sandcastles, she would usually choose not to engage in the same activities as the other children. She would steal away to the nearby caves preferring the quiet and solitude that she found there.

The Storm

This may seem like a peaceful scene to you, but a terrible storm was brewing out over the horizon. You see, for years the countryside had been plagued by an angry dragon…a huge, tormented she-dragon. She was a lonely creature who was not loved or appreciated in the dragon world, and because of this, her heart had become calloused and hard. Therefore, she hated children, especially when she saw them enjoying themselves at play.

On one particular day, a terrible storm came up suddenly when the children were out playing at the water’s edge. The sky turned an ugly gray, and it thundered so loudly that it frightened even the bravest heart. The sight of the waves beating angrily against the rocks along the shore gripped the children in fear. They looked up into the clouds and heard an eerie sound, one that they had heard before. Within a flash, this terrible dragon descended upon them and blasted their sandcastles with her fiery breath, destroying their beautiful creations one by one. The children fled for their lives. They ran to the nearby caves and huddled together trembling, not knowing what might happen to them. If only they had a champion to rescue them, one true knight.

The Encounter

As the smoke began to clear, there appeared on the beach one lone figure, the child Esther. She stood bravely among the ruins of the sandcastles and waved a little white flag above her head. She showed no fear. She stood her ground and looked intently into the eyes of the dragon. You would have thought that Esther had taken leave of her senses, and that at any second, she would realize how foolish it was to stand up against a dragon. Why do you think she didn’t run into the safety of the cave like the other children?

The dragon was perplexed. She thought, “Who was this little snip of a girl who would dare stand up against me.” But with a curious admiration of such uncommon bravery, the dragon decided to creep up and take a closer look.

The dragon descended upon the beach and crouched down revealing her full, grotesque self. She approached Esther slowly determined with every intention of devouring this foolish girl. But strangely enough, with each step that the dragon took closer to the child, she began to shrink in size. This child had a strange power over her, and the dragon couldn’t take her eyes off Esther. The tears and love that the dragon saw in this child’s eyes melted the dragon’s hard heart.

When the dragon was at arms’ reach, Esther dropped her flag and held out her hand, and for some unknown reason, the dragon felt compelled to allow the child to touch her. She had never felt a human touch before, and the wonder of it all made her drop to her knees in voluntary submission. She was overwhelmed by such love, and it filled her with a peace that she had never known before. Esther then spoke softly to the dragon, she said, “Get up and come with me; I have something I want to show you.” By now, the dragon was about the same size as the child, and she willingly walked beside her, hand in hand.

A New Beginning

They approached the cave and stepped inside the cool walls, where all the children from the beach were huddled in a dark corner of the cave. What were they afraid would happen? The dragon heard their whimpering and was filled with remorse. Had she really wanted this kind of ugly, evil power. She was so weary from hating; she felt a need to rest from it all. She didn’t understand these new and wonderful emotions that she now had in her heart.

Almost magically, the sun broke through the clouds and illuminated the inside of the cave. Esther told the dragon to look up, and she complied. To her amazement, she saw a kaleidoscope of colors painted on the cave walls and ceiling. It was an enchanted design of a beautiful castle by the sea surrounded by vividly painted flowers, a rainbow, and one beautiful dragon flying high above the clouds carrying a young girl on her back. There was a look of total contentment on the faces of the dragon and the child. The dragon looked at the masterpiece that Esther had painted and said, “She is so beautiful, truly magnificent. If only I was not ugly and I looked like that, then maybe others would love me. Who is she?” Esther said, “Why, dear dragon, do you not recognize yourself? That dragon is you. Open your eyes and take a look at yourself. You are not ugly, no longer scary or mean. You have a new heart and a new name; I will call you, Bella, a name worthy of a beautiful creature. I have known all along that you and I were meant to be forever friends, and together we would fly away and have wonderful adventures.”

The End.

“Fairytales reveal aspects of who God truly is...the redeemer, the Savior, the rescuer, and the hero of our story. Most fairytales have similar characters: a princess or damsel in distress (you), a prince or hero (Jesus), a villain (Satan), a plot of good versus evil (the battle of life over death), and a happily-ever-after ending (redemption). When you think about it, your life is an adventure, and it not only parallels Christ’s story, but you are a part of it. This story is written by God himself, but unlike a fairytale it is a true story; it is “the greatest story ever told.” (Her Treasures)

Here are a few snippets that I see in this fairytale that relate to God’s story: What else can you see?

1. I am a new creation, born of God’s spirit. (2 Cor. 5:17; 1 John 5:4,18)

2. Christ and I are spiritually united. (Rm. 6:5; 1 Cor 6:17)

3. I have been given a new heart and a new spirit. (Ez. 36:26-27)