A Story

There once was a girl who served the king and queen of a small country. This girl was hard working and never asked for anything in return for her services, for she loved the king and queen. Night and day she labored on their estate. She cleaned the yards, managed the house and helped the queen with whatever she might need. When the queen became ill this girl cared for her as one would a beloved parent or friend. For years this girl served her king and queen, giving up all her hopes and dreams in order to give herself fully to whatever they might need.
Despite everything she had done, one day the king and queen took everything this girl had and chased her from their estate. They banished her to a house on the furthest end of their lands and put guards about her to ensure she stayed their. Every few days they would have the guards bring her before them and beat her, demanding that she confess to crimes they claimed she had committed. This went on for days, weeks and months. Finally, in utter brokenness and ruin the girl made the confessions the king and queen demanded of her; but that was not good enough. She was forced to stand before all the people in the land and declare her crimes to them. When the assembly heard the words of the girl they were shocked and bewildered, stunned at what the girl was saying. The crimes she was confessing to were so heinous and cruel that it was hard to believe she had committed them. Still, the guards assured the crowd that what the girl said was true.
As a result of her confession, the girl was ostracized in her own country and made to feel that she was a worthless creature unworthy of love. She lived her life separated from her family and friends, being rejected by those she loved most. As if this were not enough, the king and queen demanded that she be made to repeatedly repent of her crimes and be publicly shamed on a regular basis. The girls closest friends were summoned to the king and queen's estate and told stories about her that horrified them. They were encouraged to have nothing to do with her lest she corrupt them as well. Truly everything this girl has was taken from her and she was treated as though she was a criminal. Her sense of dignity, self-worth and simple human rights were stripped from her and she was left for dead.
What, you may ask, would cause the king and queen to treat the girl in this way? Surely, there must be a reason for such actions on their part. The truth is there was a reason for their behavior, but it was not because of anything the girl did. No, the truth is far uglier than anything the king and queen tried to paint.
Late one night, while the queen slept, the king had gone to the girl and asked for a chance to speak with her. The girl had agreed and when the king spoke, his words shocked and confused the girl. The king told her that he loved her, that he would always love her and that, although he knew it was not right, he was not able to move past it. He wanted to share his feelings with her and see if she reciprocated the feelings. Of course, the girl did not know what to say or do. Here was someone she looked up to, someone she had spent years helping, someone whom she thought had good character. She was sickened by the king's words. Her response to the king was that what he was thinking was all wrong and she could have no part of it.
After saying these words the girl quickly left the conversation to find one of the queen's advisers and tell them what had happened. She didn't know what to do or how to handle the situation and she needed advice from someone she trusted. After hearing the story, the adviser called for another adviser, who was also the chief guard, and they discussed what to do about the matter. They went to the king and tried to reason with him but he insisted that he loved the girl and no one was going to change his mind about it. All through the night they talked, and finally, the king was convinced to stay with the queen and give up the girl.
In the morning the queen was informed of the past night's occurrences. She was heart-broken and devastated by the news but she knew what she must do. She quickly banished the girl from the estate and she and her advisers met with the king to discuss the details of what had happened. When they were done talking about it the king and queen agreed that the only way to handle the situation was to blame the girl and find a way to publicly punish her for wrongdoing so that no one would suspect what had really happened. They had their guards interrogate the girl and nothing could be found that was worth punishing her for, so they began to accuse her of things she had not done. The painted an horrific picture of her and ensured that everyone in the kingdom believed it. The king had committed a sin and the girl had refused to participate in it, but the girl was the one who paid the price for the sin being committed.
Now I ask you - which was worse - the married king propositioning a young girl in his service or the king and queen sacrificing an innocent girl to cover up what the king had done? Is there a right answer? I'm not sure, but it is certainly food for thought.

I Think He Really Loves Me

When he holds me in his arms my whole world stops. My knees grow weak and I melt in his arms. When he walks in a room by heart skips a beat and a smile tugs at my lips. When he kisses me I tingle from head to toe. When I look in his eyes I see they are warm with love and when he touches me his hands emit loving tenderness. He is gentle and tenderhearted, yet strong. He waits to go to bed each night until we have said good night. He stops his work to accept a hug from me and has a goofy grin on his face as he returns to his duties. He sends me flowers and love notes and calls just to chat. Yes, I think I really loves me. He holds me when I cry and cheers me when I'm sad. He comes over just so he can be with me even when we can't sit down and spend time with each other. He asks for my opinion and listens to my advice. He encourages me to pursue my hopes and dreams and is one of the loudest fans in my cheering section. He helps me do the hard things in life and never lets me quit when I shouldn't. He shares his life with me and is always willing to share mine. He always reassures me that he loves me and I think he really does.

Count Your Blessings

Life is an interesting roller coaster ride that never seems to stop. There are the really great highs and the terrible lows, but at least there seems to be a pretty even amount of both. I have found in my life that for most horrendous situations there is usually something good that can be found. Sometimes it takes a lot of work to find it or a lot of patience to wait for it but it will show up. One comfort I have is that there is not only the presence of darkness in this world, but also the presence of light. The night will come. There is nothing I can do to stop it or even control it in any way. But, the morning will also always come and with it bring hope for a new day. I've been trying to learn to see the hope of the new day and focus on that rather than allowing myself to be caught up in the blackness of the night all around me. When I take the time to notice I can see that there are little hints of light in just about every situation I find myself. There are smiles and laughter with friends, there are hugs and kisses from those you love, there is strength and support from those closest to you, and there is advice and encouragement from those you have come to trust. There's an old hymn that came to mind today. It's called "Count Your Blessings". It talks about taking the time and effort to stop and notice all the good things that God has done in your life, all the great gifts He has given you. The song says that if you will stop and count your blessings you will be surprised at what the Lord has done for you and you will be filled with gratitude instead of being disgruntled about whatever it is that is bothering you. Today, I had to stop and count my blessings and I have found that I have quite a few. Sure, there are some things that aren't blessings, but I've found upon closer examination that there are some things that appear terrible, but they have a blessing hidden inside them. I have a family, amazing friends, good health, my needs are basically met, and I have a wonderful Savior Who never fails me, never leaves me. I am truly blessed. So, no matter what I am facing right now, no matter what comes up, no matter how many times the cart dips on my life's roller coaster, I can be content. The Lord promised He would not give me more than I can handle, which means if I can't do it in and of myself then He will give me the strength to do it, and He has provided some very helpful resources to help navigate all my storms. That's such a comforting thought! So, if you find yourself feeling down or depressed about your life or current situations, try counting your blessings. It really helps.