Arise and Shine

 Chapter Two

The King had adopted me, making me a child of His, with His name and with all the rights and privileges of His very own Son. He invited me to sit at the banquet table with my brothers and sisters who He had also adopted. Having lived in a dark basement my whole life, I still could not believe where I was now. Among the King’s children, in the light, a member of the royal Family. Overwhelming thankfulness filled my heart daily.

Every day there was a strategy session at the table with our King and our Brother, assignments of the day for each of us, armor to put on, many of them mounting horses to ride off in such splendor and fervor. Oh, how I wanted to go out with them! I couldn’t wait to get to go to battle with them. I was ready to fight! My Brother explained to me that I had much to learn, that I wasn’t ready yet. I chafed under the preparation time. I was so eager to get out there. Couldn’t He see that! He told me I had to learn how to fight many different enemies. We often didn’t know exactly who we were going to meet on any given day. I had yet to learn how to properly put on my armor and the sword was still so heavy. So much practicing. Difficult lessons. Tedious memorization. It was boring. And I wasn’t allowed to leave the castle yet. The King said it wasn’t safe for me. So here I sat. And waited.

One morning after our meeting, when everyone ran off to do their exciting mission for that day, I was getting ready to go to class. Again. Then the King, my Father, asked me to stay and talk with Him a minute. I got so excited. Maybe He was going to let me go out. Finally!

  “Yes Father?” 

He said, “I have an assignment for you.” 

Oh joy! “Yes Father, what is it?”

 “I want you to go back down to the basement,” and here I gasped. I hated it down there. I especially hated being around the woman who was in charge of the servants down there. Her name was Hazel and oh, she was cruel. He went on, “Your first assignment is to go spend some time with Hazel each day. I want you to love her.” I closed my eyes and put my hand over my mouth. Taking a deep breath, I said, “Father please don’t ask that of me. I…. I can’t do it. She hurt me so many times. She wounded me, slashed me, hit me, said the most cruel things to me. She enjoyed giving me pain. I don’t hate her and I forgive her for what she did, but love her? Father please don’t make me. Send someone else. Anywhere but the basement. I hate it down there. I hate being around Hazel. Please, please give me another assignment.”

He looked at me for a minute and said, “This is what I need you to do. You don’t have to do it. But I assure you that it’s necessary. Will you do this for Me?”

What could I say? I loved Him so much for all He had done for me. He had given me so much, everything! He brought me out of the pit and gave me a beautiful, glorious new life up here with His other children. How could I say no to Him? 

“All right, Father, I’ll try.” 

He smiled, took my face in His hands and said, “Good. I love you. Ask your brothers and sisters for help, for prayer, for advice on what they did. I will give you strength every morning to enable you to complete this task.”  Then He hugged me, kissed my forehead and left the room. Sigh…… ugh. The very thought of loving that woman filled me with revulsion. When I thought of all she did to me I felt anger, hurt, resentment, fury even. All the times she mocked me, humiliated me, slashed me with a whip and with her words. How? How can I do this? It struck me at that minute that I hated her. I thought I had forgiven her but I still had hate in my heart for her. I didn’t realize.

In obedience, with gritted teeth I tiptoed down those stairs in fear. And the minute she saw me she cackled, “I KNEW you’d be back! HA HA!” I explained that I was going to be visiting from time to time and helping her. She spit in my face and and then with a sneer gave me the worst job down there – cleaning out the chamber pots.

It went downhill from there. I dreaded this time with her every day. Things didn’t seem to be getting any better either. My help and trying to be kind didn’t seem to be making any difference. And I felt more and more beaten down every day. She told me every single day, through a stream of constant senseless chatter that I belonged down there, that I was a fake and it would be obvious one day to all my so-called ‘brothers and sisters’. They would eventually know I wasn’t one of them and make me go back to the basement where I belonged. It was just a matter of time.

I couldn’t do it. I could not love this woman. I had tried everything I could think of. I prayed, I asked my brothers and sisters, I read the Book, I spent time with Father every morning. Nothing worked. I was back down in the basement having to love someone who is altogether unlovely and impossible for me to love, chained again somehow to this responsiblity when all I want is to get out on the field with my brothers and sisters and fight! It was so frustrating. I couldn’t believe how difficult this was turning out to be for me. It seemed so easy to do – or at least to fake. I couldn’t even do that! I cowered in fear before her. I am crippled here. I am useless and have no power whatsoever to do what my Father asked of me. I want to do it so badly for Him but my flesh recoils and the wounds still hurt just as much as they did before.

And before I knew it, I was staying in the basement all the time. I didn’t have the heart to go back upstairs and admit to the King that I could not do what He asked. I couldn’t face Him or my brothers and sisters who had been so excited to see me come up out of the pit and take my rightful place beside them. She was right. I belonged here.

My Brother came down the stairs looking for me one day. Whenever He came down to the basement, Hazel was quiet. The hatred was on her face but she kept to herself. He found me in the corner, small, dirty, weak, cowering, wounded, crying. He asked me again, “What are you doing down here again? Why are you staying down here all the time? This isn’t your place. You belong upstairs with the rest of us.” I told Him what happened, what Father had asked of me and how I just couldn’t do it. I was no good. I was useless. I’d never be a great warrior like the rest of them. “I can’t even do this one thing! I am worthless!” and I started sobbing. Oh, it had been so nice to be out of this dungeon for a while.

He grabbed both of my hands and made me stand. He grasped my arms firmly, looked me right in the face and said very clearly, “YOU ARE NOT THAT SMALL, SCARED, WOUNDED, LITTLE GIRL ANYMORE. She is GONE.” And as He said these words to me, I felt a whirlwind around me from my feet going up to my head. As it went up, I grew taller, my clothes were once again white. I felt power, peace, and joy. A crown appeared on my head. I had bright light coming off of me. I felt love coursing through me. I felt so strong and whole. He said, “You carry My light with you. Get up, arise and shine, be ye transformed. Shine My light here. The chainmail you now wear will protect you from the slashings and My helmet will protect you from the beatings. My sword will protect you from the lies and cruel words. You will fly above all of this. Fly above my Beloved, let go. You can do this. You were born for victory. I am here to help you. This is essential training or you won’t be able to fight out there for Me. It will come up again. This is your conquering point. This is your test to prove whether you’re fit for battle. If you say yes to Me here, then you will anywhere. This is your rite of passage. It will strengthen and free you far beyond all your expectations. Do this thing for Me so you can fight alongside your brothers and sisters where we need you. Do this so you can take your place where you belong, fighting beside Me shoulder to shoulder. Every one of your brothers and sisters had a test like this before they could go out and fight. Each one had to lay down something precious to them, their will. This isn’t about love. This is about surrender. This is about your will. Is it all mine? You cannot be half-hearted toward Me out there – you will die. I can’t let you go out there like that, undefended, not able to truly fight well. But if you will yield your will to Me, give it to Me fully, You will join me on the battlefield. I promise you that.”

I looked at my will and saw that it indeed was not all His. I wanted this so badly, to belong to Him, wholly. I handed my will over to Him and said, “Yes, I want you to have it. All of it. It’s Yours to do with what You will. I want to fight beside You.” He gently took it from me, it turned to gold in His hand and He smiled. “Now, now we can begin.”

I looked over to where Hazel sat in the corner, frightened of what she had seen. I now felt ten feet tall and full of light – and no longer afraid. The hate was gone. The revulsion was gone. Even the pity was gone. When He transformed me, He gave me new eyes to see with. And there in the corner, I saw a small, scared, frightened little girl who had been so wounded by life. I saw how the enemy had twisted her, had ruled her by fear and terror, had chained her so mercilessly. I hated what he had done to her. I suddenly saw who she was always meant to be. I now felt such love for her. I looked at my Brother and said, “Oh please free her from those chains and heal her wounds like You did for me.” He nodded His head. I walked over and took her hand, she slowly stood up and the chains fell away. I hugged her, tightly. I felt the love He had given me seep into her, and it lifted us both. It was going to be all right. I could do this. We were BOTH going to be free now. This wasn’t just for her. It was for me also. Father sent me down here for both of us. Oh, this was so much better than I had hoped for!

Arise and shine……

An Orphan No More

Chapter One

I had been a slave my whole life, down in the basement of this mansion. My days were filled with drudgery, dirt, darkness, hard work, loneliness, pain. No beauty, no laughter, no joy, just work.

One day the King came down to see us as He often did. He was always kind and told us of the goings-on upstairs. I desperately longed to see it for myself. One day I stepped forward and much to the horror of Hazel, the woman who was in charge of us, I told Him so myself. I wanted to see it, all of it. It didn't occur to me to ask to get to work up there because the idea was preposterous. I was just a lowly slave girl, of no real value. But I wanted to see what life upstairs was like, the beauty of it. I was starving for beauty. I had heard stories of what the upper floors were like, the glory of them, the colors and the light, the pretty things. And the Children of the King! They were all so regal and lovely, with such important roles to play in the Kingdom. Oh, how I wanted to catch a glimpse of this! I knew the image of it would carry me through many a bleak day.

To my surprise, after I asked the King, He looked at me thoughtfully for a moment. Then He nodded His head and said, "I'll do better than just let you see. I'll adopt you as one of My own if you'd like. You'll be one of My Children." I gasped in shock! Me? I wasn't asking for that! I don't deserve that. I just wanted to see it. I can't live up there with all of those smart, important, brave people. They would NEVER accept me. I am not worthy of that. I am nothing. 

I protested my unworthiness but He wouldn't listen to me and asked, "Do you want this?"  

Dumbfounded, I nodded my head yes and He said, "It is done." He looked at me again with deep love in His eyes and left.

Word came down to us a few days later that my adoption was complete, I was one of the Children of the King and I could come up any time I'd like to join the Family. Hazel, the woman who had been my overseer, looked at the papers and threw them at me. She laughed in scorn at me, saying, "That'll be a fine sight, ugly, stupid, little you up there with the likes of them. You'll stick out like a sore thumb. They will treat you like their dog and you'll be lucky to get that. A Child of the King. Humph! Ha!"

And I knew in my heart, she was right. These papers meant nothing to me. I couldn't go up there. I wasn't like them. I would never be like them. In all my filth and ignorance, they would never accept me.

I tucked those papers away in my treasure box and went back to my life of drudgery, cursing myself for hoping for more, for even a moment. What a fool I was. This was the life for me and I was lucky enough to have bread to eat each day.

From time to time, one of the Children of the King would come downstairs and seek me out. It always terrified me. They looked so beautiful! Their clothes were so fine and white! The crowns on their heads shown brightly. They glowed with good health. Joy was evident in their smiles. Their kindness undid me.  I couldn't look in their faces as they asked me to come up and join them, that I didn't have to be down in the basement any longer. They told me that they too had been adopted, that they too had been orphans and slaves, but I couldn't believe it. They begged, entreated and pleaded with me to come upstairs but all I could say was I can't, I'm not good enough. Nothing they said could change my mind and they would leave disappointed - not in me, but for me. I cried every time they left. And every time this cruel woman would laugh me to scorn. I wished they would stop coming. It gave me a spark of hope that only caused me pain when it went out each time.

One especially dark day, many months later, a man came down the stairs I hadn't seen before. He was a kind-looking man with dark hair and piercing eyes. The way he carried himself, with such a royal bearing, but also with such humility, made all of us servants stand up. He had a calm confidence, like he knew Whose he was, and I then realized, he was the Son of the King.

  He came over to me and asked to speak with me privately. We went to a corner and He began to speak to me with firmness in his voice. He said, "I am the King's Son, your Brother. You are now a Daughter of the King, My Sister, and are loved as His Daughter, as if you were born to Him. He loves you as much as He loves Me. You do not belong down here. This basement is not your place, your home. It never has been. You have been free to go anytime you chose to.  This work is not the work He has for you. Why are you still down here? Why are still acting like a slave when you're not one any longer? You deserve better than this because He says you do."

I sputtered, "But I'm so dirty! And stupid! I won't fit in up there with the others! I can't do anything but servant's work. I don't know anything else! This is all I'm good for. I'm not brave. I'm not beautiful. Please don't ask me to go up there! I can't stand the humiliation." And I wept. I wanted it so badly. I hated it down here.

He put his hand gently on my head and said, "When He adopted you into the Family, as one of His Children, you became more than you are now. He gave you all the rights and privileges of a Child. We will clean you up and put new clothes on you before you meet the Family. We will train you and teach you, your Brothers and Sisters. You have a Family now and we are all eager to meet you. We want you with us. There is a place at the table that is being held for you, a special work that only you can do. We need you to come take your place in the Family. No one else can do this particular job but you. Whatever He asks you to do He will give you the ability to do it. We need you. We want our Sister to be with us. We love you. Our Father loves you and wants you to take your place in the Body." I looked up at him in amazement. They loved me? They wanted me? The King loves me? He has given me a special job to do for Him? Unbelievable. Oh, how I wanted to believe this!

He stood up, held out his hand and said, "Come with me. I promise you it will be well." So, much to my surprise, I did. And the feeling of that hand in mine...love, safety, warmth, hope, peace, all at once. I never, ever wanted to let go.

I looked over at the woman who had caused me such grief for so many years. Hazel looked shocked and ... angry. And I felt pity for her. She was staying here in the dark basement. She hated the King, blamed Him for all her troubles, for being down here. She began to scream at me that I would be back. She cursed me for my ungratefulness. My Brother squeezed my hand for courage and we continued up the stairs. My legs were shaking.

He took me to my Sisters who all hugged me and cried when they saw me. They washed me in pure, hot gloriously fragrant water, cleaning me all up and they put fine, gleaming white clothes on me. They put perfume on me, put my hair up and a crown on my head that said my name on it. My name! They put pretty sandals on my feet and taught me to stand up straight. They told me Whose I was and that I was royal and had value and worth, that they too were adopted. They told me how happy they were to see me and have me with them. I could have fainted from the joy I felt.

Then they said, "It's time," which made me shiver with fear. They skipped along beside me joyfully, and took me to the door of a room where I could see inside had a very big table with many Children all around it, standing so straight and tall, looking strong and at ease. I did NOT belong there and I started to pull back. My sweet Sisters pulled me gently along, laughing, and told me to go in. 

The King and the Son were standing side by side, and oh, it was a sight! They both looked over and smiled such bright smiles of joy at me I could barely look at them. The love on the King's face for me gave me courage. He came over and hugged me, hard. And in that embrace, I knew it was the only Love I'd ever need. The fear, the loneliness, the despair melted away. I was safe here in these arms. He kissed my forehead and said, "Welcome Daughter." He then escorted me to the empty seat I was to take. My place. With my name on it. With the others smiling and watching, the Son nodding at me, I took my place at the table, my place in the Family and knew instantly..... that was where I belonged. I was Home.  ❤