allegory Archives - Kristen Anne Glover

{14} Down the Wandering Corridor

Day 14 of 31. For Day 1, click on the image above.

“Jewel!” the prince called from the courtyard. “Come with me! I have something I want you to see.”

Jewel sat at the window, looking out over the vast countryside. Over the past few weeks, the prince had taken her all over his kingdom. She saw the rolling green hills where shepherds watched over wooly, bleating flocks, and the sparkling rivers lined with willows. Docile cattle, thousands of them, lazy with sun, rested along the banks.

There were glorious, granite mountains that jutted up to the heavens, and lush, fragrant cedar forests, rich with wood enough to build a cathedral for every person in the kingdom.

Everywhere, abundance reigned, and beauty tamed.

Jewel was filled with the sense that she could not even begin to imagine all the wealth her prince held. If she spent her life thinking of the grandest request her mind could conceive of, she would not be able to outdo him. He could fulfill her wish without any pains at all, and then he would ask if there wasn’t anything else he could do for her besides?

It was such a shocking contrast to the meanness of her life before, when she groveled for bread and settled for crumbs when all along, a boundless feast was spread for any who would come to the prince’s table. How needlessly she had starved within sight of his castle. In fact, the only regret she still harbored in her heart was the fact that she had not been hungry enough to come sooner than she had.

Now, the prince stood below her window with a grin on his face, looking for all the world like a boy with a secret. “Come on!” he called. “I have something to show you!”

“I’ve been saving the very best thing for last,” he explained, grabbing her hand and leading her into the depths of his castle. She still didn’t know her way around very well, and within a few turns down the wandering corridor, she was completely lost.

“Where are we going?” Jewel asked.

“You’ll see.”

The stone passages wound around and down and under the castle until Jewel was certain they were going to come upon the very center of the earth.

At last, they turned one last corner and the prince said, “We’re here!”

They stood before a giant door, heavy with wood. Great, hand-forged hinges gripped the grain, and the latch and lock were of pure gold. They gleamed mysteriously in the dim light of the corridor. Hushed and holy silence filled the hall.

“What is it?” Jewel whispered, half-afraid to speak.

“It’s my vault,” the prince answered. “Go ahead, open it.”

“I don’t have a key.”

“You don’t need one. It’s not locked.”

His simple answer set her at ease at once.

“I guess there’s no danger of anyone stealing anything. No one would be able to find the way!” Jewel said as she reached for the door.

“Oh, there’s a faster way. See that staircase there? It leads right up to the great hall. But where’s the fun in that?” the prince said with a laugh.

“I didn’t know you were so funny.”

“Jewel!” he said with surprise. “Laughter is one of my favorite things.”

She realized immediately that it was true. She had never seen anyone laugh as freely as he.

“Now go on,” he said, “open it!”

Jewel put her hand on the great golden latch and pushed. It swung open easily after a long protest from the hinges.

“Oh!” Jewel caught her breath. Never in all her life could she have imagined anything like what was behind that door.

{12} Reflection

Day 12 of 31 Days. For Day 1, click on the photo above.

We have come to a turning point in our story. Everything leading up to this point was the story of Obscurity; now, we will be following the story of Jewel.

Before we do, I thought it would be good and appropriate to take a moment to reflect on what we’ve read so far. Just like I did on Day 7, I have created some questions based on the readings. You can use them for personal reflection or group discussion. If you have older children who have been reading along, this is a great opportunity to show them where this story can be found in Scripture.

Reflection Questions

1) In Day 8, the prince and Obscurity have a conversation about the difference between shame and being sorry (repentance). Have you ever thought about the difference between those two words? Read 2 Corinthians 7:8-10. Here, Paul is talking to the Corinthians about the sorrow they felt when he confronted them about their sin. What is the difference between godly sorrow and the sorrow of the world?

2) Day 9 talks about the prince’s kingdom. Why is it important that the prince’s castle can be seen by everyone in the Enchanter’s kingdom? Read Romans 1:19-20 for a clue.

3) I spend some time talking about work in Day 9. Summarize my description. Do you think your labor is important? Do you think it brings glory to God? If it doesn’t, why not? Do you wonder if your particular role is more or less important than others? Is this attitude correct? If you’re not sure, check out 1 Corinthians 12, particularly verses 20-26. Now read Ephesians 4:11-16. What does God’s Word say is the purpose for these differences among us?

4) Depending on your understanding of man in relationship to God, you may have had a hard time with Obscurity’s complete lack of redeemable qualities. I chose to make her the most vile creature the people had ever seen to highlight the fact that we can offer nothing to God in exchange for our salvation. We owe Him everything, and if we boast, it is in what He has done in and through us. 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 is a great reminder of who we were before Christ, and who gets the credit for the person we are after.

5) How do you react when sinners come to church? If you see a man who obviously hasn’t taken a shower in days, or woman who looks strung out, or a gaggle of neighborhood kids who are rude and disruptive during the service, how is your heart toward them?

6) The prince’s marriage vows came from Hosea 2:19-20, Deuteronomy 31:6, and Matthew 28:20. It was important to me to include the words of Hosea because they are a love song to a harlot. Over and over again, God compares His people to a harlot because over and over again, we leave our Prince to seek out idols of our own. But God chose us, knowing who we are, and redeemed us anyway. It is an amazing story!

7) What is the importance of name? Your parents gave you a name when you were born, but what about the name inside your head? Maybe it is something good like Mommy, Artist, or Joy-filled. Or perhaps it is a name you wear with shame: Can’t-Have-Children, Chronic Spender, Lazy. One of the great promises of the Bible is that God is going to give us each a new name, one that speaks of our true identity in Him. Isaiah 62:2 is one of those promises. You can read Revelation 2:17, 3:12 as well. God already knows your name! What do you long to hear Him call you?

8) The praises of the people reach all the way to the Enchanter’s kingdom. Praise the Lord. When we praise the Lord, even in whispers, the enemy hears it in shouts, and he trembles. Psalm 150 is a very short, but very powerful reminder that we should give thanks to God in everything. “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!”

9) Make an effort to remember both sides of your story today. You cannot have the Jewel without the Obscurity. Be reminded of the awesome, incomprehensible love of God toward you!

10) My prayer for us today comes from Paul, who more than anyone else in Scripture, knew how to pray for those who were once in darkness. He himself was a vile offender, the worst of sinners, a persecutor of the church, but Jesus found him and rescued him and gave him a new name. Hear what he has to say to all of us.

For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father,

from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,

that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory,

to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man;

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;

and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

may be able to comprehend with all the saints

what is the breadth

and length

and height

and depth,

and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge,

that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think,

according to the power that works within us,

to Him be the glory in the church

and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever.

Amen.

Ephesians 3:14 – 21

*Join us tomorrow for Day 13

{9} The Prince’s Kingdom

From Enemy to Heir: Day 9 of 31 Days

Click on the photo above for Day 1

The prince opened the gates to his kingdom and Obscurity walked in behind him without a moment’s hesitation. All her questions and doubts had been erased by the kind instruction of the prince.

But she was completely unprepared for the scene on the other side of the gates.

From afar, the prince’s kingdom looked pure white. His castle sat up on a hill where it shimmered like a diamond. No matter where you were in the Enchanter’s land, you could see it, if you wanted to.

When she was younger, Obscurity had often gazed upon that castle and thought about how very boring it would be to live in a world where everything was white.

Now that she was there, she could see that the kingdom was not white at all. It was radiant with a myriad of brilliant, pure colors. Some of the hues she had never seen before, but every inch of earth or sky shimmered with them. It was like stepping into a magnificent gem, and Obscurity could not make her eyes wide enough to grasp the wonder. She thought she could look on it forever and never see enough.

It was midday then, and the town was bustling with the affairs of the day. Everywhere, people were hard at work, although it hardly looked like work to Obscurity because every person seemed to be doing the exact thing he or she most enjoyed doing. Here a person painted pictures, there a person swept floors, one taught little children, and another layered mortar between bricks.

But all worked to the best of their ability, so if she had to choose, Obscurity would not have been able to tell whose job was the most important. More intriguing still was the fact that she could sense no struggle between the roles. There was no abuse of power or lazy workmanship, there were no angry threats or insolent remarks.

Instead, the air was filled with a sense of mutual respect and cooperation and a delight in being able to do what one was made to do in the kingdom of the prince they loved.

The prince, who stood beside her, watched it all with a look of pleased satisfaction. Obscurity noticed that he looked more radiant than ever as his people went about the humble duties of their daily lives.

Obscurity, who had never had a skill or talent of any kind, suddenly wished she had something to do that was as good and satisfying as their labor seemed to be to themselves and to each other. When she saw how much it pleased the prince to see his people creating, building, and ruling like princes themselves, she wanted nothing more than to be a part of it.

But she didn’t have much time to think about it because suddenly, someone looked up and noticed the prince had returned. Immediately, he was surrounded, and she with him. They greeted him with kisses. One took his horse and one took his cloak and everyone was asking about the cuts on his face and the mud on his clothes.

That’s when they noticed her.

And everything got quiet.

It was not entirely uncommon for the prince to bring an enemy into the gates. Old people and children followed him wherever he went. Those kinds of enemies had not been taught to hate him, or they were too old to fight, and the Enchanter’s power was lessened on those who believed enough to be hopeful, and on those who had seen enough to be hopeless.

But this was unusual. Very rarely did the prince open the gate for someone in the prime of her life. Very rarely did he rescue someone so obviously entrenched in the Enchanter’s lies.

Entrenched was just the word for Obscurity. She looked like she had come right out of the sewers. Her hair was matted and she reeked of waste and it was apparent from her clothes that she was one of those kinds of women.

Obscurity was now aware of her own wretched state, but the prince’s people were unprepared for the level of depravity they saw in her. It was shocking. She was by far the filthiest person they had ever seen. Whispers skittered around the back row.

Obscurity felt her face flush and her heart fall. She realized these people were not perfect like the prince. When she had first seen them, they seemed so different from her own people that she could not imagine a single flaw in any of them.

Yet, there remained in them some ability to make assumptions and draw conclusions. There remained in them some need of rescuing, and Obscurity wondered if they could see their own muddy feet when they were staring at hers.

One of the men stepped forward from the throng.

“Would you like me to take your prisoner, Sir?” he asked with a gleam in his eye. His job as master of the guard was remarkably dull in the prince’s kingdom, and he looked forward to having at least one of his jail cells full.

“Prisoner?” the prince responded in surprise. “This woman is not a prisoner.”

Waves of whispers washed over the crowd.

“Shall I prepare the…uh…guest room, then?” asked the head butler, who was already wondering how he was going to get the linens clean after that woman left.

“No, she’s not a guest!” the prince said.

The crowd was silent. No one could think of a third option.

“My dear people,” the prince said, extending his hand to draw Obscurity to his side. “This woman is my bride.”