Love Letters to the King

I saw myself today.

The garden was soaked from a mid-morning rain. Droplets scurried down branches and dripped from the tip of each leaf lending its girth to the growing puddles beneath the canopy.

With each step, my feet slipped deeper within the saturated earth. Bending down to dislodge my sandal, something caught my eye.

Entangled in the roots of an ancient oak, a pool of water gained refuge from the sun. The puddle, undisturbed, was a perfect looking glass that reflected my every movement. I leaned over the muddy water and was disheartened by the girl staring back at me.

I tested the reflection by touching my cheek only to find the girl in the puddle touched hers as well. But, surely that could not be me. Dampened by the humidity, hair stuck haphazardly to her face and neck. Her cheeks, sallow and gaunt, looked out of place amidst a rose filled garden. Unwoven threads spilled from the aged-shawl pulled over her shoulders and lay threat to unravel the garment there beneath the tree. Dipping my finger into the pool, I’d hoped the ripples would make her disappear but she did not. The smile evaporated from the girl’s lips as it did mine.

How can I visit you in such a state? I’d seen the reflection and realized my own displeasure. How can I possibly please you?

The sun grew taller above the trees. And, I knew you’d be waiting.

Not willing to deny my heart’s desire to drink in your presence, I walked toward our meeting place.

Within minutes, I spanned the distance of the garden and found you waiting beneath the draped branches of the willow tree. Casting my eyes to the ground, I took my place by your side.
My shame stood between us. Your silence suffocated me and my heart felt as though it would shatter.

My foot turned and my body twisted until I was facing the path once again. Stepping forward to leave, your hand caught my elbow.

“Come” you said.

With your arm, linked in mine, you guided me to the edge of the lake. Dropping to one knee, I followed suit and knelt by your side.

We leaned over the water’s edge and a smile spread across your lips.

“Look into my water.” You said as your finger cracked the glassy surface and swirled the water until, at your whim, it turned into a crystal revealing secrets of yesterday and tomorrow.
Instead of my reflection, I saw old turn new. Darkness invaded by light. And, fear dispelled by truth. Drawn into the crystal, I watched images of my life replayed before me only this time I saw you etched into the picture.

You were there when the midwife handed me swaddled in a blanket to my mother. You were there standing next to me at the funeral of my father. And, you were there when the messenger brought the note calling me to your garden. Always there, always watching, always protecting. You were with me.

Your finger brushed the water’s surface again and the image changed. Tears welled up in my eyes until they spilled down my cheeks as a new vision came forth from the crystal. The girl from the puddle was standing in a great hall. You reached out and took her by the hand. A cacophony of music poured in as the couple danced across the floor. With each turn, my dress underwent a metamorphosis changing my appearance to that of a royal courtier.

Your laughter shattered the image as the crystal dispersed into a thousand water droplets and disappeared beneath the surface.

Leaning towards me, you whispered in my ear, “Do not trust your eyes Princess, trust mine.”

Yes my Lord, I will trust.

For I will forever be yours.

Love,

Your enraptured servant

“I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and a bride adorns herself with jewels.” Isaiah 61:10 NIV