Letter to a Little Princess

Dear Princess,

Today I want to tell you a story about two girls that don’t live in the King’s palace at all. The King loves them very much, but they live in such misery and trouble that you would think they hadn’t a friend in the world. You see, they are hiding in the Rocks of Regret where they fled when lightening hit their home in the Valley of Disobedience. Their names are Rebellious and Bitterness, and two such girls you would never want to be.

It all started back when their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Self-Will, got into trouble with the King. King Jesus rules the lands all around the castle, but only those who live in His palaces are kept safe from the Master of Despair who prowls the countryside with his Evil Knights. So when Self-Will married little Kiss-Me and ran off to the Valley to live their own way, King Jesus knew they were headed for trouble. And sure enough, soon old Despair himself paid them a visit.

“You know you can be the happiest family if only you get rich enough,” he told Mr. Self-Will. “I’ll give you a house if you’ll work for me.” Mr. Self-Will took the offer right away because he needed work, but the job was so horrible that he soon quit. Old Despair didn’t complain. He suggested that Kiss-Me was really smarter and gave her the job instead, even though they had two little girls by that time. Mr. Self-Will felt so depressed that when Despair told him of a cure for all weakness called “Mind-Poison,” he agreed to try it. By the time Bitterness was old enough to walk, her older sister, Rebellious, was left alone to watch her all day because Kiss-Me was trying the poison, too. The Self-Will family was already a wreck, but no one wanted to admit it.

After awhile Rebellious decided that it wasn’t very fun to stay home, and so she ran off into the streets and played with her friends all day. Bitterness was left alone to fend for herself. Mr. Self-Will began to notice how ragged his girls were looking. “It is all Kiss-Me’s fault,” he said, feeling strong because of the poison. “She is such a irresponsible woman. I think I’ll take the girls and move away.”

So they went to live higher up the Valley, but Rebellious soon was off playing in the streets again. She didn’t know that her “friends” were Evil Knights in disguise, and day by day they were building a trap around her. Messengers from the King were sent to warn her, but she just laughed them off. “Life is better away from selfish Bitterness and Daddy’s strict ways,” she said. “It is fun to be free!”

It was then that King Jesus sent the lightening. It was a frightful storm and Rebellious was running toward home when a crack of thunder exploded over her head. Suddenly the house was ablaze with fire and she saw Bitterness running out, screaming. Their father had been struck down by the lightening! In panic the sisters fled to the Rocks of Regret where they hid, shivering in fear. Why hadn’t they loved their father before? Would their life ever be happy again?

Princess Truth came to visit them one day, and told them how King Jesus had sent the lightening to help them see the trap they were in. “Oh, go away!” they cried. “Can’t you see how miserable we are?” Truth pointed to the castle up on the hill and invited them to visit, but Bitterness shook her head. “We can survive on our own,” Rebellious said, holding Bitterness close. “My sister is all I’ve got now, so how can I leave her?” Princess Truth finally left them after reading a Letter of pleading from the King and promising to return again.

What do you think, dear princess? Will they be persuaded to come out of those rocks someday?

With much love,
Aunt Faith