The Treasure of Relationships
A Love Story

The Treasure

"Here take this" the King said handing her a small bag.

What is it? She asked.

"In time you will know and understand it's purpose, for now just carry it and don't lose it."

The bag was strange, sometimes it was heavy, and other times it was light. There was many times when the evil one tried to dissuade her from keeping her charge, and siege her in her thoughts and with weariness. There were times the sack was so heavy she wasn't sure if she could bear it any longer, and in those times she found as she prayed she was given strength sufficient, not in excess but sufficient to bear it.

A good while later many years actually - the sack had become a part of her almost, it never left her side. And amazingly held up pretty well, this was obviously no ordinary bag. One night the King came and sat beside her as she sat under the stars praying. "Open the bag." He told her.

So she did, in it she found one of the most stunning diamond rings ... So beautifully cut was the diamond that even in the night it shone bright like one of the constellations in the sky above. She gasped. I cannot... She tried to hand the gem to Him... "No, this is yours, He took her hand and clasped it around it."

"What am I to do with it? " She finally asked, a bit overwhelmed a few tears of love and joy running down her cheeks. Opening her palm gazing at the amazing treasure entrusted to her.

"You will know in time." He said. "For now carry it, rejoice in it. Treasure it. Keep it close to you, and hold on to it. Don't let anyone take it away from you, do not sell it for any price... don't do anything with it, until I direct you to do so. And He took it and slipped it on her finger."

"This is too great of a treasure to wear." she said. And wanted to take it off... to put it back into her bag... "I'll feel more secure if I can carry it in this sack You gave me."

"The bag will not work now... look at it..." He stated truthfully.

She looked at her bag, which had held up for so long seemed to be almost thread bare and ready to rip in places. It would not be sufficient, that was apparent. She looked again at her hand and the ring that now graced it...  "Then you take it."

"No this is your treasure and burden to bear, I cannot wear it for you. But I will be with you. You may not always see me clearly, but remember I am there... this may be one of the lonliest and longest treks you've had yet to make. But remember I am there even in the fog, in the rain, and in the storms, I have not left yourside... keep walking this path and you will know you have not wandered from Mine either. "

She smiled, and took His hand, as the dawn began to break... and took up their journey again... And real as He had been there and she saw Him and held His hand, she could not now... but she knew He was there.. and kept walking one step at a time. Sure enough there were some very low valleys... and some high tight mountain trails where she wondered if there was oxygen enough to breathe and make it... There were days of storms so fierce she feared to go on... Times when the path got slippery because of the rain...

More than once she found herself on her face pleading for grace to go on... seeking His counsel, and making sure she was on the right path - could it really be this difficult? Was it really meant to be this way?  Yes, and He'd warned her it would be... and also told her He would never be far.  It was on this trek that she learned new depths of relationship with the King... As she was driven to cry out to Him,... as she learned His presense isn't always felt, but known. That things are not always what they seem, but that He is never far and new depths of trusting Him, for grace, as her Strenth. She learned more about interecession and warfare, as there were not only storms but assults as she walked along the path... There was always present it seemed the enemy of the King who was trying to assult her daily, mostly with fear,... and trying to get her to doubt her King and His goodness. There were thoughts adversary tried to throw at her to run back to the safety of the city she'd left years ago... to leave the path she knew she was called to walk. She knew deep down in her heart that was not an option really. The King had given her free will, but because of His love for her, and her love for the King it was not and would never be.

There were times she thought maybe it would all stop, if she gave back the gift the King had given her.... And many times she sought the King and told him it was too great for her to bear. And each time He assured her that it was His desire that she bear it - that it was hard right now, but this was His gift for her and His treasure for her.

"Treasure it like I treasure it... the farther you travel with it the more you will treasure it, and the more you will see that it is your greatest blessing along this journey and one you will desire never to be parted from - though there may be a time you have to. Don't for a moment take back even in your heart this treasure I give you. You see it now for the beauty I've revealed to you now... because it is exquisite and it is a gift from me, because you never thought you'd possess such a gift... You feel it's burden because you do not understand it. Some gifts bear both joy and sorrow, the greatest gift love is mingled with much pain. Because of that many choose not to receive or give the gift of Love, because they are too afraid of the pain and hurt it will bring. This gift was crafted especially for you, in a way one could say you were made for this ring, and you were made for this journey and to carry this ring, .. Do not lose heart I have ordained this. There is a time you will see this gift is far more than what meets the eye and will treasure it as I treasure it."

Sometimes the assaults from the enemy were so hard she couldn't move and felt trapped, and did the only thing she could do - besides running (which would only lead her into another trap set by the enemy who sought to both destroy her and the gift)... drop to her knees and cry out to the King like she never had before... Truly where else could she turn? Where else could she run? He had given this gift and promised that though the path would be rough, she would not die on this journey and that He would be there and would give her just enough strength to bear it.

There were times of joy and sunshine along the path too - please do not get me wrong... it was not all tumult. And many many times of rich fellowship that enabled her to trust, and face the trials. And the Sonshine along the path and the rich fellowship also assured her that she was not crazy to be on this path (as many a times the enemy tried to assault her with his fiery arrows of faithlessness and doubt). The days of Sonshine always reminded her of the goodness and faithfulness of her King and how she could trust Him truly in the Sonshine and in the rain.

Then came the day, it was the biggest storm she'd yet seen... but the King had prepared her for this... The days preceding it were full of Sonshine and beautiful... very dear to her heart were these days and treasured, and she grew to treasure her gift... as she saw in the brightness of the day, she saw... where in the night she had seen the stone reflecting some light as a night star... in the day it reflected the Son it was a glorious reminder of the King's Love. She began to see, that it wasn't the ring itself, it was because He had given it to her, and He was the one who made it beautiful - the beauty was in the King Himself, and He was the one who not only crafted it the ring for her, but it was His beauty that shown in it. And the ring truly became her greatest treasure as the King Himself treasured it and see that indeed it was a great gift indeed. More spectacular with inner beauty that far greater than the outer beauty which one might see at first. In treasuring it, she was treasuring the King and delighting in Him.... because it was not in the ring itself she took delight, but the giver of that ring.  It was a reflection, a symbol of His love for her... But the journey was far from over.

That dark day came, where the sun seemed to be snuffed out like a candle in the dead of night. The storm was raging... Trees began falling all around her as lightning fell from the sky. Her dress was drenched from the rain and heavy from both it and the mud it created along the path. The enemy of the king tried to use the storm to his advantage... and assault her. He tried to get at her ring... he thought she would surely give it up in despair now. But he was bound from many assaults  I'm sure he would have loved to try - he could not, because there seemed to be a protection that surrounded her from his ability to assault her in her mind... there was some, but the King gave her strength to resist and would not allow many such assaults as He was closely at her side, she could not see Him there yet. She was scared,... Really scared... She fell to her knees on the path covered her face with her hands and cried out to the King.... Then she knew His presence as He gently put His hand on her shoulder... the storm had not ceased in ferocity, and only calmed a little on the inside (storms like that don't exactly cease immediately sometimes on the inside of one's heart)... She trembled threw herself into the arms of the King and cried on His shoulder. He held her close.

"Little one, let me bear your burden for a while - will you trust me with your gift for a little way while we journey together?"

"But I've begun to treasure it... it is very precious and dear to me.... as you said I would not desire to part from it.. and would not take it back even in this storm. Can you not just give me the grace to bear it in this storm?"

"Child, my grace is here... that is why I ask to bear it until the storm has past and you are strong again. You are quite worn out... Rest here... and we shall resume the journey in the morning."

He held out His hand for her to release the ring to Him. She slipped it off her finger and handed it to Him. "How could I not trust it to You? I was foolish there to think I had strength to bear it all... And how could I not give it to the one who gave it to me?" Though some heavy tears began to drop from her weary eyes as she said so...

"You fear you will somehow lose it, or are not treasuring it because you are releasing your grasp on it... but this shows only how much you do treasure it. He who loves his life will lose it... and greater love has no man than this than that he lays down his life for his friend... you are losing and laying down your life right now... and it's not an easy thing I ask of you... these next several miles may be harder than the ones past... But I promise I will not leave you. And I will keep your treasure safe. You will find as you walk, even though it is not in your hand, it is in your heart, and it has not ceased to be precious, and the gift is not lost. Because it's one that can't be taken away, but by My hand. And I have not chosen to take it away, you have chosen to give it to me, and allow me to keep it for a time until I see it good to give it back to you. And that is good. It is too great for you to bear right now, it is not lost at all, but safer in my hands for this time. When it is right, all shall be clear you will see this journey even it's trials as a joy, and will only make the treasure and the journey more cherished and dear to your heart."

"I already see some of that."  She said, tears welling up in her eyes... "Thank you for this gift... And all You have taught me so far, and how I have come to treasure you because of it... how could I not trust You in this also? The One who gave it and made it for me, and showed me what a great treasure indeed it is, and how special and  unique it is. One might have thought that such a gift could lead one astray in becoming too precious to me, leading me from You... how did you know and trust that it would do the opposite and draw me to You?"

"There were tests, journeys, lessons, before this gift was given, that's why the sack was not to be opened until I opened it and showed you the ring... I trusted you with this great treasure because I love you and because you were ready to for it and all that would come with it, because you did not trust yourself or your strength or ability but trusted rather in Me. You let it turn you to Me. You let Me draw you to Myself on this journey and and because you let Me show you Myself in this gift, and chose to believe me and obey and saw the treasure inside the treasure, and to treasure it as I do. And now you have to trust Me with the treasure that is so near to your heart. And know I treasure it just as you do, even more than you do. There will be many days it will be hard for you to trust... and in those times, remember what you have learned on this quest so far, and many others: to trust Me and not yourself or your own understanding."

~~~

And so begins another portion of this quest of the journey of her life as a child in the Kingdom. Where the path leads, only the King knows, but he never abandons those who walk it....  He will always be there... And she knows, He is good, and He is trustworthy because He is always faithful - He will not fail her, and her treasure is safer with Him than in her hands... And some journeys are very mingled with Sonshine and Rain, Joy and Sorrow, love and pain... Some gifts are precious, and only grow more precious in storms and trials as well as the Sonshine, as the King reveals Himself through and in them...

She also found there is great peace and joy deep in one's heart to know that the thing she treasures so much is treasured more by her King and is kept safe in His care.

Treasure of Relationship

The lady began this quest as a child, a girl sent by her King, with a sack and a treasure, a map, a compass, a lantern, and the King as her sole companion and guide...

Along the way she learned it was not hers to journey alone. There was a certain knight of the King's own men, whom the King had also called on this quest.

Together they discovered that not only did the King cause their paths to cross, and desire that they journey this portion together, but that they could indeed travel farther together than was ever possible to either alone. Together they were stronger, faster, and more effective in their mission. The closer they became the faster they could walk, the farther they traveled the closer they became. Truly they found that as a couple they were much better than either was alone, because the King Himself, desired and designed this quest to be theirs, together.

"I have something for you, that the King instructed me to give you" the knight said as he took the lady's small hand in his... And slid on a diamond ring. "Will you marry me?"

The King had given the Treasure back which she had entrusted to him long ago on this journey, returning it with a Knight. It was perfect and more beautiful than it had been before. It was a picture of this new sort of fellowship, like the diamond ring reflected the Sonshine, this relationship would reflect the Kingslove. Like the ring became more beautiful with time, their relationship would continue to grow and be a treasure dearer and more beautiful with time. Like the diamond it is genuine, and thus strong and will endure the years...

"Yes, I'd be honored to." Replied the Lady, tears of gratefulness to the King for all He was and had done streaming down her cheeks.

Guided by their King, walking in the Kingdom Way, journeying, on the King's quest they walked hand and hand into the sunset.

Yes this is an announcement.
I am engaged to a Knight who knows and loves my King. And truly we have found that we can run so much faster together. The King is good.
As we grow in our relationship with God we grow in our relationship as a couple, and as we grow in our relationship we grow in our relationships with God. "That's when you know it's the right one" I told my sister.