Princess in a Tower

There is an age old story of a beautiful princess trapped in a tower, awaiting her prince to come. She stares out the window, paces the floor, imagines hair-brained escapes, dreams of freedom, and waits. She sees men ride by on their white steads; some she calls out to, others she merely watches pass. Some call up to her, but she replies she wants to be in the tower. Why? She doesn't really know.

I truly feel like this princess. I am sitting in a tower, waiting, yearning for a prince to come rescue me. The tower is singleness, or more aptly, loneliness. I want to be pursued - for someone to think I am worth the time and effort to rescue. I stare out the window watching the men go by, wondering if any of them are "the one". Some offer their services, but I shy away. Why? I don't know, except that maybe I feel safe in my tower. But more likely it is because I know that to step out of my tower would be to make myself vulnerable to my rescuer. And I want to know if he is trustworthy. Somehow, maybe from my vantage point of the high tower I can see who is worthy. So, I reject the help offered.

Then, there are the other men who walk past barely noticing me in my tower. Perhaps they think I got myself there and am enjoying my position. Perhaps they are afraid to fight the dragons to rescue me. Perhaps they just don't want to be my knight in shining armor. Yet I see them walk past and yearn to have them look up and understand what is going on. For them to care enough to pursue.

But just like in the story there is only one prince who will be able to rescue me. All the others will fade into the background, but someday my prince will come. :)

The annoying thing is that until my knight comes I catch myself day after day watching the men who pass, wondering who will it be? A few I want to notice me and pursue me. So far, none have. I wonder what is it about me that makes the men walk the other way.

Then, the King answers and says to me, "You are beautiful. You are intelligent. You are funny. You are valuable and worthy to be pursued. I love you." And in the midst of the rejection by many princes, I know the King speaks Truth. There is nothing wrong with me that chases knights away. The tower is not a trap or a prison. It is a guard-wall that protects me from getting hurt by bandits dressed as princes. My King wants me to remain safe until the prince He has chosen can come rescue me. His motive is love and His purpose is holiness and purity. I can wait until the right time as long as the King continues to remind me of His overruling love and sovereignty.

So, until that right time, I sit in my tower, pace the floor, listen to the wind and birds, and wait for my prince to pursue me.

I am worthy to be pursued, but I don't want to be until the King's chosen prince makes his move. For now my tower is my guard, and my King is my satisfaction no matter what the future holds.

Proverbs 4:23 Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts. (Message)