Choose Your Hero Carefully

After my divorce seven years ago, I played in the Salem Pops Symphony for a while, but struggled to keep up while in such pain and turmoil. After our first concert my friend looked at my hollow eyes and emaciated frame and said, “I want to introduce you to someone, Beth. This is my husband. We met after my divorce and he was my savior. That’s what you need, Beth, a savior.”

Her words startled me and my spirit rose in defiance. I already had a Savior! He was the only One who could rescue me from this soul-shattering heartache.

It’s true I was devastated and lonely. I longed for someone to hold me and tell me I was worth loving. However, I knew that must never override my need for and dependence on God. No man could ever be my Savior like Jesus, the lover and husband of my soul.

Too often we want the rescue without the relationship though. The movie Snow White and the Huntsman is evidence of our culture’s confusion about a savior. Fairy tales were originally written by believers, to illustrate Christ’s relationship with the church to their children. This movie and many others badly muddies that analogy. In an effort to depict more complicated characters, modern movies are presenting us with sullen and unwilling heroes.

We’re familiar with fairy tales that include a Prince (the Christ figure) who risks his life to rescue the Princess. Then he carries her off on his white horse to his castle in the sky. It’s his kiss alone that can wake her from the slumber of death. He valiantly fights evil spells, fire and flood, dragons and dungeons to rescue his true love.

Snow White’s prince is depicted as surly and reluctant. It’s up to her to fight her own battle and get help where she can. Yet she’s enamored by this drunken huntsman rather than her childhood friend - the one who’s loved her all his life and risked everything to save her. He’s the one who cared enough to kiss away the spell of death.

           Yet Snow White slumbered on, until she received a kiss from her inebriated huntsman. He only admitted he cared for her when no one else was present and he thought she was dead. When she awoke he followed her into battle. She conquered the evil queen, and he arrived after her coronatioceremony, without bothering to dress up. And this is our hero?

Are these dark remakes representative of our culture’s rejection of Christ, our ultimate Savior? Today’s heroes are less than heroic and the Princess less than willing to be saved.

Imagine how differently the story would end if the Prince rode up on his faithful steed and the princess declined his rescue. “Thanks anyway,” she might say with a dismissive wave, “I’m good. But I would appreciate it if you could help me get out of this mess. I just need a few tips on how to use this dagger. But I’m not really into riding off with you to your castle.

“In fact, I’m not sure I even want to get married. I’m okay on my own. I might travel some. Or I might get together with the Huntsman; he would take good care of me. I’m sure he’ll stop drinking once we get married.” Would this tale really end happily ever after?

Sadly, this scenario happens all the time. Our Savior comes to rescue us from the despair and bondage of sin. We gladly accept His help out of our predicament, but reject any ongoing relationship with Him. Not because He isn’t perfect husband material; it’s because we have somehow been deceived into thinking there are more exciting lovers out there than the One who has loved us all our life. The One who sacrificed everything to come rescue us.

If you want a happily ever after, it's important to choose your hero carefully.