Aliel Cunningham

“Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while.”

This is one of the immortal lines from the classic story, The Princess Bride. If you have never read this story by William Goldman, it is well worth your time. The reason this story has stood the test of time is because it conveys a strong and childlike trust in the power of “True Love” to rescue and redeem us.  This theme is found over and over again in the ancient tales and fairy stories handed down from one generation to another.  The Princess Bride echoes the truth of these tales. The truth that the universe was made because of Love and it endures because of Love. Because Love is the animating power of life itself, nothing can match it or conquer it for all time.

This rare quality in our modern world has been scoffed at by those who seem to be in the “know”. And perhaps for good reason as we have all experienced painful heartbreak when we do not receive the love we were hoping for in family relationships, friend relationships and even (perhaps especially) romantic relationships. And so in large part, our culture has decided that “True Love” must not really exist and we must get along without it. The notion of “True Love” has been tossed onto the heap of discarded childhood ideals along with the fantastical tales that embody them.

The notion of “True Love” has been tossed onto the heap of discarded childhood ideals along with the fantastical tales that embody them.”

Which is why we need more modern stories like The Princess Bride to re-enchant our hearts and remind us who we are and what we were made for. In our modern era, it is argued that we have outgrown such “simplistic” notions of fighting for one that you love or expect that anyone will truly love you enough to fight for your heart. The sage wisdom of the hour would say that you are much better off by looking out for yourself rather than laying down your life for your friends.

This is where The Princess Bride offers a refreshing perspective from much of the modern “realistic” literature of today. One of the key themes of The Princess Bride is the pursuing nature of Love seeking the one called “beloved”.  Wesley is the hero of the story pursuing the heart of Buttercup, the fair maiden who has captivated his heart.  Buttercup has done nothing to deserve his love. She is simply loved. Gradually, she comes to return Wesley’s love but it is tentative, untested love.  

When Wesley leaves Buttercup to seek his fortune, he tells her that he will come back for her, but she is filled with doubts and misgivings. She does not yet know the true nature of Love. Some time later she is told that Wesley has died and in her grieving she makes a vow.  To protect her heart from future pain, she vows that she will never let love in her heart again because it has failed her. This is the vow many have taken to deal with the disappointment and disenchantment of our modern world. We see our need for love and maybe have even tasted its charms, but the path of love seems like so many other deceitful avenues that promise “the good life” only to bring you pain in the end.   

But the story does not end there…

In her despair, Buttercup does not realize that she is being pursued by true Love.  Even when she has given up on the idea of love and betrayed her promise to wait, Love has not given up on her. Wesley has promised to come back for her and he continues to pursue her even when she has agreed to marry a wicked prince who plots her death. Wesley embodies the essence of true Love conquering all obstacles as he climbs towering cliffs, defeats giants, drinks poison, engages in a battle of wits and swords to rescue his beloved from bondage. 

Like Buttercup, we too are in need of rescuing, held captive by one who plots our death. We do not realize how deeply we have been wounded by this sleep of disenchantment. Our captor has lied to us and told us there is no ultimate purpose for our life, no hope of redemption or renewal, no true epic story of enduring love. The enemy of our souls has told us that there is no True Love seeking us willing to do whatever it takes to rescue us. Like a poisoning shard of glass this lie has become deeply embedded in our culture and in each one of our own hearts. We think we are on our own and no one is coming for us.  We need to figure life out on our own, because we have met no one who is powerful enough to rescue us or cares deeply enough to keep pursuing us and fighting for our freedom. We have been told that “God is dead.” and so by extension is Love.

But what we (and Buttercup) don’t realize is that the true nature of Love does not end in pain and death, but in life. Resurrection life. Life that conquers death. As C.S. Lewis illustrates in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, when death encounters True Love laid down for another death itself bows before Love and “starts working backward”. For True Love is the deeper magic of life.  True Love pursues the beloved across boundaries of time, distance, enemies, battles, obstacles and even heart betrayal. The story of The Princess Bride is indeed a fairy tale, but it pictures a real life love story. The Love story of Jesus pursuing your heart and seeking to rescue you from all that holds you captive. 

Where are you in the story?  

What part of your heart is being held captive and needs to be set free? Where in your story have you felt disappointed or hurt by those who should have shown you love? 

Where have you sought your own protection rather than trust the Love of God to care for you? Where have you made vows to protect your heart from being hurt again? What seems impossible to you for God’s Love to conquer and make right in your story? And most importantly, where do you need to reconnect with the story of God’s pursuing Love for you?  

All of us have been impacted in one way or another by the bitter cynicism of today’s “real life” narrative that tells you that you’re on your own and there is no hero or lover pursuing your heart. This is the lie we have been swallowing too long. The truth is that Love created the world and we were loved and known before we were born. Since Love is the author of life, it is the source of its meaning and purpose.  The author of Song of Songs, tells us, “Love is as strong as death, many waters cannot quench Love, nor floods drown it.”  May we awaken from our disenchanted sleep to discover that Love has been pursuing us all along.   

As the clergyman in the story of The Princess Bride says, “And love, true love, will follow you forever.”