Dear Friends,
It is my privilege to offer an amazing writing by our AHG Girl Blogger, Sarah Peterson. Sarah skillfully weaves a story that will leave a tapestry on your heart. Share with your precious son and daughter...this is a fairy tale of truth, honor and love. Thank you Sarah for sharing your talent with us. Thank you for being a bold follower of Christ in an age where it seems bold followers are rare.
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From Sarah:
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to write a fairytale for one of my
classes. I just sat down at the computer and started typing and the words just
came to me! The whole time I was typing many Bible verses came to my mind and I
wanted to share the story and the Bible verses with you. I hope this gives you
a smile for the day and also makes you think, because that is why I love to
write: I try to challenge people in their walk with God and lift their spirits
in the process. I hope you enjoy it :)
The Three Scales
Once
upon a time, in a land far away, there lived a young beautiful girl. Her name
was Amelia. She was well liked by all in her village because of her happy,
spirited personality, her good looks and most importantly her love for others.
Amelia
was going to turn eighteen in one week. She was a little nervous, for it was
tradition in her village that once a girl turned eighteen her father would pick
her a husband. This man then had to accept the offer and proceed to go on a
journey that would truly show if he loved the girl or not and if he was truly
worthy of her hand in marriage.
A
week passed and Amelia’s father hadn’t eaten for days; he was thinking and
meditating and going over all the eligible young men in the village. Finally he
announced his decision.
“Edward
is my choice! He will marry my daughter.”
Edward
was known as being the most handsome, and the richest, man in the village.
Every girl dreamed of him rescuing her from some evil monster. Surely whatever
the challenge would be, he would come back the victor and sweep Amelia off her
feet.
“My
father has decided that your test will consist of this: The Dragons of Timbault
reside in caves no more than a day’s journey from here up the mountains. You
will proceed to these caves and bring us back three scales, one from each of
these fiery beasts, within three days. This will show your courage and your
valor and if you succeed I shall be your wife.” Edward took the challenge and
started up the mountain.
No
more than an hour into his trek, he came upon an old and feeble woman sitting
by the side of the road near a path that led up to an old rickety house.
“Good
day to you!” She called, waving a bony hand his way.
“Good
day!” He replied back.
“Are
you so kind that I may call on you for a service?”
“Whatever
you shall need I shall be of service, your oldness!”
Showing
her crooked teeth, she smiled and led him up the path to the little shack of a
house.
Pulling
out a box, she said, “I just lost my husband and I need a favor. I am supposed
to count out twenty sneckles for the landowner of this house, to give to him
for my rent, but I don’t know how to count for my husband always did it. Would
you be so kind as to count out the sneckles and give them to the landowner? He
lives another hour’s trip down yonder.”
Edward
nodded and got right to work. Counting out the twenty, he then thought to
himself, Why shouldn’t I count out a few more for myself? She should pay me
for my services anyway!
He counted out an extra ten
and went on his way. Hours later he had dropped off the money and was back on
route to the mountains.
About
three hours later he came to a little town. Normally he would have passed it
by, but it looked like there was some commotion happening in one of the pubs.
He walked in and noticed a serious game of gambling going on.
One
graying, smelling and half-drunk old man called him over, “Say, young lad,
would you want to join us?”
Edward
thought to himself, I should really be hitting the trail again…but could I
use these ten sneckles and make more?
He
decided to sit in a round and take a shot. Hand after hand and Edward had won
one hundred more sneckles. He could have stopped…but seeing the other sneckles
in the middle of the table made him want more. And more. And more.
After
three more hours, he had won hundreds more sneckles. However, looking outside
he noticed that he lost all his daylight for his trek. He rushed outside, with
his new fortune of sneckles clanging in his pockets. Edward calculated that he
had two more hours before he would get to the caves, but it would be harder in
the dark.
Two
hours soon turned into three…three turned into four…after five more hours he
finally stepped up to the caves. It was now midnight and looking at the side of
the mountain, he noticed a light coming from the rock itself. He walked over to
it and saw a stone door leading into the caves being lit up by a torch. Edward
shrugged and pushed against the heavy door.
Nothing happened. It
wouldn’t budge.
Getting
mad, he pushed harder and harder. Still, it would not move. He stepped back and
studied the door a little closer. In it was engraved a poem. Confused, he read
it slowly, “ ‘This door only opens for those who are worthy; those whose
lives are filled with respect and mercy. This stone can tell if you are a real
man, or someone who just tries to pretend. Because greed is what you are known
for, you will not be allowed to enter this door. The money in your pocket will
only cause you harm, and no, my friend, you will not be saved by your charm.
Your dire and irrefutable punishment will be as follows: Your memory is gone
and you are now forced to live in the forest’s hollows.’ ”
He
took another step back and something started to happen. He was confused.
“I
don’t know where I am…I should probably try to get home. Wherever that is…” He
wandered down the mountain and into the forest where he was never heard from
again.
Back
at the camp, Amelia waited and waited for Edward to come back. But after more
than a week of not hearing from him she gave up and went to her father.
“Father,
Edward has not returned. Where do you think he went?”
Her
father, elderly and wise, smiled a knowing smile and whispered, “I should have
known he was not a worthy man.”
Amelia
was about to ask what he meant but her father was already up and walking to the
door, “I think Richard will be my next choice. He will leave tomorrow!”
Amelia
nodded and left the house wondering if Richard would come back for her…
Early
the next morning Richard was ready. Everyone knew he would be back; he was the
strongest man in the village. He won the most medals in all the games and no
one dared to face him in battle. Surely he would be the one.
Leaving
for the mountains he didn’t let anything or anyone cause him to stray off the
path. He didn’t stop for pubs, for parties or for any person. Everything was
going smoothly until he came to the castle. He saw the game flags up on the
towers and his hair started to stand on end. He could show off his amazing
skills…
Entering
the castle he was bombarded with the sights and sounds of a party. Colorful
clothing, intensely addicting smells and loud, catching music overtook his
senses. He was suddenly in charm mode. Richard’s smile and good looks was the
only reason that the game master allowed him to enter the games late. In a few
hours he had won multiple medals and even beat the man who was considered the
favorite. He was having the time of his life! Hours later and after tons of
food, dances and medals hung around his neck he looked at the sky and noticed
that it was getting pretty dark. He strutted out of the castle with his head
high and his many medals clicking around his neck.
Many
hours later he too made it up to the mountain. He also noticed the light by the
stone door and he went up to it. Seeing that it was closed and sealed tight,
Richard smiled to himself, “This will be easy to open…”
He
pushed and pushed against the door, his medals rubbing against the rough stone,
but it would not move an inch. Frustrated he kicked the door as if that would
suddenly make it open. He was about to start pushing again when he saw
something engraved on the door. Folding his arm across his chest, Richard read
the poem, “ ‘This door only opens for those who worthy; those whose lives
are filled with respect and mercy. This stone can tell if you are a real man,
or someone who just tries to pretend. Pride is your undoing, young lad, and no,
being good at things is not bad. But you only compete to outdo others, even
making fun of your fellow brothers. This stone will not open because of the
medals around your neck; it will only open once your pride is in check. Until
the day you learn to be humble, your social status will collapse and crumble.
You are now no better than a beast of the field, until you, my prideful one,
learn to yield.’ ”
Richard
suddenly felt the medals get very heavy and he collapsed to his knees. Gasping,
he held his hands to his face; they were growing rough, dark brown hair. He
screamed, but to his shock and dismay it came out as a bray. His toenails
became hooves and his ears grew long. Richard had turned into a donkey. Running
down the mountain in shame and humiliation, he burst into the forest and was
never heard from again.
A
few days later, back at the village, Amelia looked at her father and
sighed,“Richard is gone too. He never came back…”
Amelia’s
father nodded, “He was too good to be true.”
“Father,
can’t you just pick a man and let me marry him! I’m afraid at this rate no man
will ever come back!”
Her
father looked at her with his big, wise eyes. Taking her hand he said, “Amelia,
you want to make sure that the man you are marrying is one of respect and honor
and not just of valor. Anyone can act as though he conducts himself right, but
you have to make sure his heart is right as well.”
He
then left, leaving Amelia to wonder about this journey that he was sending
these men on and hoping that the third time really would be the charm…
Days
later her father emerged from their house and announced his last
choice,“Philip, is my last choice. If he doesn’t come back for my daughter she
shall be forever alone. I have known Philip to be a good man, but is he worthy?
In time, we shall see.”
Amelia
thought Philip was a good looking man, though not as dashing as the rest. He
was thoughtful and sometimes quiet but many knew him for having a good heart.
He took the challenge gratefully, though he was unwilling to boast that he
would be the one to sweep Amelia off her feet. He left the next morning.
A
few hours into his journey he came across a young, filthy child. He smiled at
the red-haired girl, “How do you do?”
She
looked up at him and grinned, holding out her hand, “Would you be so kind as to
give a young beggar some food or money?”
Looking
down on her he had compassion and held out his hand, “Come with me and I will
show you to a nice village inn where they will take care of you.”
As
he was leading her down the road he told her stories and let her nibble on some
of his bread. Though she was reluctant, she trusted him because of his honest
eyes. She even told him her name: Grace. Philip thought that was a beautiful
name and the little girl blushed when he said so. A few hours later they came
upon the inn Philip had told her about. Entering the inn, the little Grace’s
eyes lit up and she looked up at Philip, “Can I really stay here?”
He
smiled and nodded at the small girl’s expression. Calling the owner over he
told him to take care of the girl. Handing the owner a small bag of sneckles he
said on his way back from the mountain he would pay him the rest. He then left
the girl in the owner’s caring and able hands and continued on his way.
An
hour or so later, as he was entering another village, he heard some commotion.
Looking around he tried to find the source. He started jogging around a
building and was almost hit over the head with a piece of wood. Ducking, he
quickly assessed the situation. In the corner of the alley there was a young lady,
not much older than himself, grabbing at these buckets and blankets filled with
what looked like beautiful jewelry and screaming at the top of her lungs for
help. Three men were also in the alley. One was trying to grab the girl,
another was stuffing jewelry into a bag and the third had just tried to knock
Philip out. Using his swordsman skills he had learned by his father when he was
a young child, he quickly drew his weapon and took his stance. Seeing that
Philip was there and that his sword was out, the three robbers stuffed as much
as they could into their bags and took off down the street and into the woods.
Philip chased them and got as close as he could, slicing a hole in one of the
bags. Jewelry started falling out of the hole and the robber decided it was too
much of a hassle, so he dropped it. Seeing that there was no way he could chase
down the men, he grabbed the bag and carefully picked it up.
“I’m
sorry, young miss, but I couldn’t get their other two bags.”
“Thank
you sir, without you, I would have hardly any jewelry left!”
She
praised him and so did the others from the village. He took it gratefully but
did not accept any reward. The young lady wanted to do something, so she
offered him a good meal. He took it and after he had eaten his full he was back
on the road.
Hours
later he too made it up to the mountain. It was dark by now and he noticed a
light coming from a torch by a stone door. He went up to it and saw that there
was something engraved on it. He read it out loud, “ ‘This door only opens
for those who are worthy; those whose lives are filled with respect and mercy.
This stone can tell if you are a real man, or someone who just tries to
pretend. You, my faithful one, are what a true man is all about, someone who is
humble and truthfully devote. This door will open for you, because your valor
you have shown, helping those in need who couldn’t help themselves on their
own. Truthfully, you, my friend, are a worthy man, placing others first and
lending a helping hand. Opening just for you, this stone will move, for you are
a man of whom I truly approve.’ ”
Suddenly,
Philip heard a loud Clang! and the stone door slowly started to move
aside, revealing a beautiful room made of pure gold inside. Philip stepped into
the room and let out a low whistle. The room was about ten feet by ten feet and
the walls were covered in solid gold. On the far wall were three gold dragon
heads protruding out of the wall about three feet. Each looked different but
were equally beautiful; fiery red and green eyes, sharp teeth and beautiful
iridescent scales. A smile slowly crept onto Philips face.
Well,
I guess I won’t need to be slaying these dragons after all! Philip thought to himself.
Walking to the back of the
room he gazed at these amazing statues. He ran his hand over the scales and one
scale from each statue fell off into his hand. He grinned and pocketed the three
scales. Leaving the room, he stuck his hand into his pocket and felt the scales
again.
Hours
later he made it down the mountain, with the scales clinking in his pocket. He
came upon the village where he had helped the young lady. Wondering how she was
doing now, he entered the village and looked for her. He found her in the same
alley, but she was on the ground, hands to her face, crying. He dashed over and
asked what was wrong.
“They
came back! When you left they came back and took everything! I don’t have
anything to sell now. My family will go hungry!” She wailed.
A
thought suddenly popped into his head, and believing that it would be the right
thing to do, he reached into his pocket and took out one of the shiny,
jewel-like scales. Handing it to her he said, “If you sell this, it will help
with your costs. Your family shall not go hungry.”
Looking
at him with eyes wide, she took and scale and pressed it to her heart, “How can
I ever repay you?”
“It
is not necessary. Take it as a gift from me to you.”
Without
another word, but with tears in her eyes, she hugged him and dashed for her
home, new hope swelling in her.
Philip
continued on his path home, hoping that he had done the right thing…
A few hours later he made
it back to the inn where he had left Grace. She ran out to meet him. He picked
her up and laughed. She looked much better and when she was cleaned up she
looked like a very pretty little lady.
“How
much do I owe you?” He asked the inn keeper a few minutes later.
“Well,
I would normally say about thirty sneckles, but my wife and I have fallen in
love with the girl and are adopting her! So we should pay you something for
bringing her to us!”
Philip turned down the
offer, but said he would love to have a meal with them. After he had eaten his
share, he was back on the road again. Only a few feet from the door, Grace
burst out and stopped him.
“Will
I see you again?”
He
knelt down and kissed the girl on the forehead, “I don’t think so.”
“Well…can
I have something to remember you by?”
Absentmindedly,
he reached into his pocket and pulled out another scale, “Take this. I was
going to get it when I first found you, so I want you to have it. I won’t
forget you Grace.”
She hugged him again and
then rushed inside with her new treasure.
A
few hours later he made it back to his own village and he found Amelia’s father
waiting for him.
Oh
no, he thought to
himself, I only have one of the three scales…
Philip
walked up to him and silently reached into his pocket, pulled out the last
scale and handed it to him.
Amelia’s
father looked at the one scale, emotionless, “Where are the other two?”
Gulping,
Philip answered, “I gave the other two away. One to a little girl and the other
to a young lass.”
“Did
they ask for them?”
“No,
I gave it to them because…I thought it was the right thing to do…”
Slowly,
Amelia’s father smiled. He reached out and took the shaking man in his arms and
hugged him. Pulling away, he then placed the scale back in Philip’s hand, “You,
my friend, are the one who is going to marry my daughter. You have proven
yourself, not with sword skills, not money, nor even the best looks but with
your heart. You are the kind of man I wanted for my daughter. Go. Go and find
your bride to be!”
Philip
smiled the biggest smile, hugged the man again and ran through the village
shouting Amelia’s name.
Months
later Philip and Amelia were happily married and as most stories go…they lived
happily ever after.
And
the moral of the story is: Be the person you should be and you will be rewarded
for your good actions because truth, honesty and morality will always win out.
Now, here are some of the Bibles verses that came to mind as I was writing
this story. I hope they challenge you as much as they did me :
Proverbs 16:18 "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit
before a fall." --------Make sure your heart is always in the right spot,
for that is what truly matters.
1 Samuel 16:7 "But the
Lord
said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected
him. The
Lord does not look at the
things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the
Lord looks at the heart.'"
--------Be careful who your friends are! Make sure they are walking with the
Lord. And girls, just as a side note, make sure you fall in love with someone
for the right reasons. Not just for looks or fame or money; they need to be walking
with the Lord as well.
Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the
Lord
with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways
submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." -------Though it may
seem like it is taking God awhile to answer you or bring Mr. Right into your
life, have patience and trust. As the daughter trusted her father in the story,
we must trust our Heavenly Father and wait patiently for Him, because He knows
what is best.
Wow! Wasn't that great! Until Next Time,
Patti
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