I was so engrossed with the story and was constantly struck dumb and amused that somehow it just got better with every page. It became even more precious to me as I found some allusions or similarities to the Gospel and the Christian walk. There are several beautiful moments in the story (e.g., the rose and the fox), but what really hit me was when the little prince talked about the baobabs.
"A baobab is something you will never, never be able to get rid of if you attend to it too late. It spreads over the entire planet. It bores clear through it with its roots. And if the planet is too small, and the baobabs are too many, they split it in pieces."
Given the state of my heart then, this part spoke to me in a pretty obvious way. To give you a better idea, below is a little illustration, my own reimagination of the planet overgrown with baobabs.
For so long, I knew I had struggled with insecurity. I didn't like that I had to deal with it, that I was so weak against my own thoughts. But somewhere along the way, I'd come to accept it, treat it as an unavoidable relative I don't like. I'd somehow dismissed it as a mere character trait, perhaps inherited from someone in my family; and for quite a while, I was okay with that explanation. However, it took my relationship, the one thing I'd wanted most and cherished exceedingly, to expose my weaknesses - to reveal to me that, that "character trait" was something much more. It was a huge problem.
Ever since I've accepted Jesus into my life, God's been incredibly patient as He began working more closely in it. He's slowly been making it known to me that my insecurity had been the fruit of years and years of feeding into lies, holding grudges, and a host of other things I've still yet to discover.
At some point in my life, the detestable seed had been planted in my heart. I'm not sure exactly when that was, but my money is on that one thought from sometime in high school or college.
There is always somebody out there who is better than me.
Better appearance, better grades, better abilities, better resume, better prospects, better career, better life... Yes, that in itself is true; there will always be Van Goghs to trump Gauguins, Bachs to Zelenkas, mainstreams to indies, etc. However, context would explain further.
My focus was on myself and where I lacked. I was trained on worldly standards, the checklist, and the number of boxes I hadn't ticked off. So basically, that thought reads more as
I am never gonna amount to anything to anyone in this world.
As truly as it is said in 1 Corinthians 15:37 (NIV), "When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else." Because I hadn't known back then of the consequences and of the only antidote ☝ to the root (pun intended) of the problem, wounds had been left to fester and the seed to grow silently and bear more ugly fruit until they manifested themselves so destructively later on in my life. Not only had my peace and joy been robbed constantly, but I also became more vulnerable to bad-fruit fertilizer (aka. lies from the enemy) and hurt people in the process.
Who would've thought that something so seemingly inconsequential could wreak so much havoc, right?
But things don't have to end there - in the bleak and depressing.
Though this narrative may lead you to be aware of the reality and the gravity of problems like insecurity and anxiety, though it may tempt you to despair, there is HOPE.
This hope is greater than problems, circumstances, sin, and death. This hope is real, as real as generations of testimonies claim Him to be. This hope promises freedom from bondages and baobabs, no matter how big and uncontrollable they've gotten. And the greatest part? This hope will not be cut off (Prov. 23:18)!
This hope is Jesus. And Jesus is my hope. He can be yours too. :)
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. (Prov. 13:12, NIV)
Stay golden and God bless you!
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