This story is an allegory and does not represent anyone that I know, it is just something that God has been wanting me to write about lately. It is not written to be judgmental or offensive.
In a certain village far away lived a young peasant maiden, who along with the others in the village, longed for the day when the King would ride into their town and hand out treasures to the young maidens who were waiting, lining the streets and clamoring for His attention. They hoped that they would be chosen to receive their treasure that day.
Time after time came and some of her friends were chosen to receive their treasures. She watched as some were careless and soon abandoned their treasures soon after they received them. " It is too hard to take care of the treasure when I am so busy doing what I want to do." They complained. "Because I have this treasure, I can't have fun anymore. All I do is work, work, work to keep this treasure in good condition." They forgot how excited they were to have received the treasure in the first place. They forgot how that treasure would make their eyes light up when they gazed upon it. They forgot the warmth of the treasure held next to their heart. The responsibilities of caring for the treasure overwhelmed them.
The maiden watched as they mistreated they very thing that was given to them to honor and cherish and protect, no matter what. They soon walked away and left the treasure on the side of the road, broken, feeling useless and alone. And they begin looking at others' treasures with longing in their eyes, scheming, plotting and planning how they could take the other's treasure for their own. What they should have done was to go back to their own treasure and spend time with it, giving it tender- loving care and holding it close to their heart.
Did they not know that other maidens were waiting for their first treasure? They could not take what someone else threw away.
Finally, one day, the King stepped down from His steed and gently took her hands opened them, and placed her special treasure in her hands. She had waited a long time, but in her heart, she knew that the wait was worth it. The King looked the maiden in the eyes and said,
"Now, you have been given a lifetime treasure. Will you honor and cherish your treasure? Will you be with your treasure as long as you both shall live? Will you care for your treasure no matter what? The maiden, with tears streaming down her cheeks, said, "I will. I will not ever toss the treasure away. I will always hold it next to my heart." The King smiled. He knew she meant what she said on that day.
So as time went on, keeping the treasure meant sacrifice. It meant hard work to keep the treasure in good shape. It meant time without sleep to help the treasure. It meant sacrifice of doing things that she would rather not do. It meant doing without to meet the needs of others who came into her household because of the love she had for her treasure. But not all was sacrifice and loss.
There were days when she and the treasure basked in the sunshine that the King sent...times when laughter bubbled to the surface and her treasure would glisten and shine...times when the sound of music floated around them as it came from her heart, and the heart of her treasure.
She was grateful for her treasure. She never let her treasure feel neglected. She never walked away from her treasure. She always tenderly cared for her treasure. And, if there comes a day when the treasure is taken to the Celestial City, she will always have the earthly memories of the treasure in her heart to last her until she is reunited with the treasure and the King in the Celestial City.
I am thankful for my treasure, my husband, David.
Thanks for reading.
Donna McHugh
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