HOPE

HOPE

I was asked to paint a picture during the worship time in a Church we were ministering at the other day. As I thought about what to paint, one word came to mind – the word “hope”. At first I was a bit taken aback as I wondered “how on earth do I portray hope?”. So I just started getting paint onto the canvas knowing I would be guided as I went.

As I painted I thought about what the word “hope” meant. To paint “hope” meant I had to also paint the stuff life is made of – the stuff in which we sometimes find ourselves needing hope – health, finances, jobs, family – all these and more can be areas where we need fresh hope – I would use colours to portray the emotional feeling of these. I knew I didn’t want to paint a real situation but to do something abstract, something conceptual that could be read differently by different viewers, allowing them to feel the emotional substance of hope.

As I thought about ‘hope’ I realized that worldly hope is fragile – it’s a wishful thinking type of hope with no real guarantee of anything good really happening. Scripturally hope is far different – the hope God gives is robust, strong, guarantees supply, and turns any situation into something beautiful. In scripture hope isn’t wishful thinking, its confident joyful expectation of something good about to happen.

It is a joyful expectation that something good is going to happen for you because God is good. Scriptural hope boldly delivers, and it comes with the guarantee of God himself behind it. Hope isn’t just an idea, a concept, it has spiritual substance that goes to work within us, and it’s also found in a person – Christ! Christ is our hope and he is our guarantee of hope.

So in the painting the first couple of layers represents the “stuff” we go through in life so it is all sorts of colours, some dark and heavy, some light and joyful. yellow, green, yellow ochre, prussian blue, slivers of magenta, purple and some gold leaf. A lot of those colours no-one will ever see but they are there just as in life -there’s stuff people see and there’s underlying stuff; but the underlying stuff lays down the foundation for the seen to be built on. The top layers are done in white, cream, yellow ochre and little flecks of gold. This top layer represents both hope and glory overlaying all else causing the underlaying layers to become something beautiful – it represents God’s hope at work within us – making all things work together for good – coming together to present something beautiful, full of depth and rich in the fullness of Christ’s life within us. “Christ in us, the hope of glory” – Col 1:27

making your dreams your reality – part 2

“Dream Book” series – post 3

Making your dreams your reality – part 2

This is the third entry in the “Dream Book” series of posts the first post can be read here and the second one read here.

Make a plan – be strategic and intentional  – what is the process needed to achieving your goal, what steps do you need to take. Maybe seek guidance or counsel from others who have achieved their dreams, do you need a mentor or coach to help you get there?

Think long-term but have mid-term goals as well. Dreams don’t come to fruition overnight, it’ll take time and effort to fulfil your dream. Don’t look for short cuts; allow the process to happen because along the way you’ll learn valuable lessons. Do make mid-range goals as well. What are some things that will show you that you are making progress and are do-able in the short term. Reward yourself when you achieve them.

Be disciplined. There will probably be a time when you wonder if it’s worth it but your dream is waiting for you and discipline will help you get there when enthusiasm fades while laziness will sabotage your dream.

Be your own best friend. The person you listen to most is yourself. What do you tell yourself? Are you kind to yourself or are you always beating up on yourself? Ditch the negative self-talk.

Make sure you keep healthy. This is important, bad dietary and exercise habits sap your strength. Find out what gives you energy and what takes it away. Write them down. Do one and avoid the other.

 Stay grateful. A couple of days a week make a list of 5 things you are grateful for or that touched you. Say thank you to the people involved, say thank you to God.

Choose a life of service. Make it a habit to invest in others, help someone on their way and someday someone will help you on your way. Encourage others in their dreams.

What are some of the things that may stop you achieving your dream?

Holding onto the past – past failures in things you’ve tried or even past successes can sometimes stop us moving forward. Past failures can make us doubt our abilities and ourselves and past successes can be hard to let go of because we may fear losing what we’ve already got.

Failure to continue to learn and grow will stifle your success. Not just in your chosen area – keep abreast of developments in the world and learn new things. If nothing else it’ll keep your brain healthy.

Lack of vision – thinking you’re doing okay and that you don’t need to change anything may be a slow killer but it will kill your dreams.

Willingness to bow to other people’s reason – there will always be people who will disagree with your dreams, don’t let their opinions negate yours; they are not in control of your future you are!

 An uncontrolled thought life – keep control of your thought life – it has even more power to stop you achieving your dream than circumstances do. Keep negative thoughts in check. Develop a positive attitude.

 Inability to discipline the things you say both internally and externally can influence your ability to achieve your dreams even if for no other reason than people don’t like being around people that don’t discipline their speech. Both swearing and gossip can and will affect your colleague’s ability to trust you especially in business and serving people.

I hope these tips help towards making your dreams your reality. Have fun dreaming, making your Dream Book and working towards making your dreams come true.

making your dreams your reality

“Dream Book” series – post 2

This is the second entry in the “Dream Book” series of posts – the first can be read here.  “Making your dreams your reality” is a long blog post so I’ll post it over a couple of days. Don’t forget to check out the other part of it tomorrow as well.

Making your dreams your reality – part 1

So you’ve made a start on creating your Dream Book, what then? How do you get your dream out of the book into your reality? There’s probably lots of different ways of achieving this – the following are some guidelines that I’ve used but I’m sure you’ll think of other things too once you start to think about it.

Not every point listed below will apply to every dream but many of them will. Just use the ones that apply to your dream and put the others aside for another dream. Also don’t stop dreaming just because you start to work on fulfilling a dream. Dream big dreams everyday – use your imagination – it’s your dream centre. Ask yourself “what if?”

Make your dream book – see my previous blog entry “get that dream outta your head” for the details on how to make a Dream Book.

Write The Vision – Now you’re underway in creating your Dream Book take some time to write out the vision you have. What is it you want to achieve, what’s your dream? There’s a verse in the Bible that talks about the purpose for writing down vision. It says, “Write down the vision and make it plain…that those who read it may run (with it)”

Habbakuk 2:2

Writing it down gives it substance and brings it out of the abstract thought world into your current reality. It sets things in motion, now you can see it before you and can begin to take other steps toward achieving it. Now you can begin to run with it.

Writing it down will help you give words to exactly what you want to achieve. Be specific about it – “I want to travel overseas” or “I want to own my own business” are too nebulous, they could mean anything. Where do you want to travel? What do you want to see, to experience? What type of business do you want, what sort of people are you serving/selling to? You may end up with a statement that looks like this “ I want to travel from Italy to China following the old Spice Road that Marco Polo travelled, seeing Europe and the Orient without all the tourist trappings” or  “I dream of owning my own business providing quality and quirky handcrafted goods that people would be proud to own, display and use in their homes and their daily life.”

Write down where you are doing your dream i.e. town, suburb, who you are doing your dream with.

Write an affirmation – write your statement again – this time, write it as if you are actually living it now. This statement will become an affirmation you can speak over yourself and dream to. e.g. “I own and  run a successful business providing quality and quirky handcrafted goods that people are proud to own, display and use in their homes and their daily life.” Speak positive affirmations over yourself often regarding your dream.

Believe in it Your passion and belief are what will make your dream your reality. Let it build within you – looking through your Dream Book daily will help this along. Determine to make your dreams your reality.

Visualize yourself doing it. Keep that dream before your vision internally as well as externally. Put pictures on the fridge, on a mirror. Begin to populate your vision, see yourself doing it.

Take a first step –Research is a great first step, read books on your dream, Google it and talk to others who have done what you want to do.

Ask yourself – What is needed to make my dream happen? What finances are involved? How can you get that finance? Can you work extra hours or maybe sell something? Do you need to get some training? Does your dream involve other people; in what way? Do you need a formal agreement or contract sorted out?

Ask yourself – What within me needs to change in order for me to achieve my dream? What habits, what character traits? List your positive points and your negative ones – be honest with yourself; own what you’re good at and change what needs to be changed. Get help if you need to do so in order to make lasting changes. Are you committed to achieving this dream no matter what obstacles happen (as they will)?

Well, that’s some great first steps that will get you started on seeing your dream become your reality. I’ll post the second part of this post tomorrow and that will look at some more tips for making your dream a reality as well as some of the things that can stop our dreams becoming our reality.

get that dream outta your head!

“Dream Book” series post 1

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”. Eleanor Roosevelt

Every one of us has dreams. It may be of overseas travel, that new car, a home of our own or seeting up in business for yourself. Most of those dreams are within our potential to fulfil but so often they stay trapped in our head in the ‘wouldn’t it be nice’ box. We need to bring that dream from our brain and heart into something tangible otherwise it will stay a dream. Creating a dream book is a great way to take that first step towards seeing that dream become a realty. In your dream book you can think as big as you want. In this stage don’t reign in your imagination or begin to get too specific with the finer details – they will come later in the planning and strategy phase.

Dream books are great also for planning a family holiday – get the kids involved; or you can make a dream book as a couple – holiday or ministry dreams – working together on it brings a sense of ownership and team.

Creating a dream book 

• Find a book or folder (loose leaf is best so pages can be rearranged). Gather pictures and words to illustrate your thoughts. Make it fun and attractive. Put your personality into it, just like your journal.
• Use as many of your senses as you can, pour your heart out onto paper. Record yourself speaking about your dream. Sew or embroider something for your book. Use photos
• Write down ideas as they come to mind; where, when, who with, ideas about training etc. Record websites that inspire you in your dream and visit them often.
•  Dream books can be about anything, have multiple dream books on different dreams. These are not just the secret longings of a trapped imagination – they are your dreams and they stand in danger of being lost or eroded by the busyness of daily living.
• Look at your dream book often, let it inspire your thoughts and prayer life. Keep the fires of hope and faith alive knowing that God will give you the desires of your heart.

“Your imagination is the God given human capacity to construct and enter into mental pictures of divine reality. We are able to inhabit the mental pictures we create and thence anticipate the delight of finally entering the greater reality to which they correspond.” Alister McGrath

In the next entry I’ll look at what you can do after you’ve made your dream book, what are some of the things you can do to make your dream your reality.

Thankfulness & creativity – the link

it’s been a while since I posted here but I am still alive and functioning, i just got real busy and some things slid down the priority pile. but here I am again, my batteries are refreshed and my creativity is flowing… sounds great doesn’t it? and it feels great too!

i have just finished the first draft on a new book about how to grow and enhance your creativity. it’s funny – but when you start to write you realise you know a heck of a lot more than you thought. you just are so used to putting it into practise unconsciously that you don’t stop to think what you’ve learnt along the way. you also find out how much you don’t know lol, and how much you can still learn! so the new book is in it’s infancy but should be reality fairly soon. i’ll let you know when it’s ready.

today – can i suggest that you take some time to think about something you are currently involved with doing and consciously be thankful for the things you’ve learnt that you’re putting into practise in that task. gratitude is such a positive creativity booster and mood booster you’ll find that your day will even go better because you took a moment to be thankful.

you also find that your task will go better too.  i believe there is a link between thankfulness and creativity. thankfulness releases feel good stuff (endorphins) into your body and also, i believe boosts your brain function for a period of time afterwards. i’m not a scientist or medical person but i do know how i feel and how differently i see things when i am in a good mood.

if things are going hard for you at the moment, take that time to be thankful for the good things in your life and you’ll find the grey cloud will lift and you’ll see with new eyes.

make thankfulness a part of your lifestyle and you’ll see changes in your life. you may have to be deliberate to start with and you may have to do this a lot until it becomes a part of who you are but it’s worth persevering for.

i used to be a pretty negative person; life had been real hard and abusive to me growing up and it had affected the way i saw everything. then one day i realised that if something didn’t change i would continue to live a negative and depressive life. so i pulled up to my memory the image of a positive person (a fictional image but still a strong one) a young girl called pollyanna. did you ever see that movie – it’s about a young girl who always sees the positive in every situation and always hopes for the best and how her life affects everyone around her. i decided i wanted to be like that – to learn to see the good in every situation and to become a positive person and so i asked god for help to become that person!

it has taken conscious effort and many backwards and fowards moments but my whole life has undergone a huge shift because of it. i don’t get it right all the time of course but i am much improved to how i was in my earlier years and i hope my story and my life is an encouragement to others. an encouragement that they are not stuck in a box, imprisoned behind bars, destined to seeing the same view forever, but there is a whole different outlook to be found.

it reminds me of that old story about the two prisoners, one with hope and one without; they both stood at their barred window looking out into the night, one saw only the bars while the other saw stars.

Quotable quotes – on writing

i was looking at my vast collection of quotes the other day – sometimes i love to just read them and ponder them, sometimes i look to them for inspiration and sometimes like today they are the inspiration. here’s a few quotes on writing and creativity to get you thinking.

“you never know what you will learn ‘til you start writing. then you discover truths you never knew existed.” – anita brookner

“let your mind alone and see what happens”.  – virgil thomson

“to me the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it’s about, but the inner music that words make”. truman capote

‘writing is my refuge. it’s where i go. it’s where i find that integrity i have.’ – charles. b. johnson

“the best time for planning a book is while you’re doing the dishes.” – agatha christie

‘writing is the only thing that when i do it, i don’t feel i should be doing something else” – gloria steinem

“the creative power cannot be repressed, one must give vent to what one feels”.  – vincent van gogh

“life is not long for anybody and the problem is only to make something of it.”  – vincent van gogh

“it is a pity that as one gradually gains experience, one gradually loses ones youth”. –  vincent van gogh

“you should be writing something from your life, from the depths of your soul. there is more in you than this,” he said, “if you have the courage to hear it.” – louisa may alcott – from the film adaptation of little women

“humanity is in your tears. “no tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.” – robert frost

words, words, sticks and stones

words create – which is why we writers write.

words create realities and worlds which we inhabit by our imagination.

words create us and define us – they create the world we inhabit and live out of. it happens to everyone – but sometimes we don’t recognise it or believe it or we forget it and  we let others throw their word garbage over us and wonder why we end up feeling dirtied.

words had and have a big part in creating who you and i now are.

sometimes we need a closet clean out to happen in our mind – to take out the words that once defined us, or define us now, look at them and ask does this fit, does this suit me – who i am and who i want to be, and if not to chuck those old word clothes out and put on some new ones.

this is a piece i wrote a while ago about words, i know its not a new piece but i was thinking this morning about the power words have and decided that would be a good entry for this blog.

words

words

like a ragged coat

from a childhood long gone

i wear them in my mind.

cold comfort

this coat that no longer fits

but I can’t throw it away.

words

wrapped around my spirit

not wanted

dirty

ugly

unclean

unclean

unclean.

words

my constant companions

childhood bullies

that taunted and hurt

that over time

became me

became who I am.

yet you

see me differently

and call me

to be someone new.

trade coats you say.

can I let go

do I dare try on this new coat

these new words

and see how they fit.

i know I must give up the old

to become the new

so I struggle to surrender

struggle

surrender.

surrender the old

to take hold of the new

so I must

so I do.

new words

seem foreign to my mind.

my new coat

seems too big

yet trust I must

knowing I will grow

until i fit

my new coat

copyright Lyn Packer 2001

while it’s true that we were created and our existance came into being at a particular point in time our creation did not stop on that day. it didn’t stop when childhood ended and our body stopped growing in height. it didn’t stop then and it will never stop. we are still being created – by what others say to us but more importantly what we say to ourselves. those words shape and define us and we will become those words over time.

you have the power to create and everyday you are taking part in making your greatest creation ever – creating you. don’t settle for a second rate creation, don’t settle for being a second-best you, simply because words that no longer have a right to define you are still cluttering your mind closet. chuck them out, put on some new clothes and see yourself stand up straighter in the mirror of life.

you’re worth it!

stronger, braver, smarter

years ago I believed i was not strong, not brave or particularly smart. life and people told me that in many different ways. books were an escape and i lost myself in their pages many times to escape my life. to me these drawings that i did epitomised my life as i saw it.

but today I am no longer that same hurt, little locked up girl and books have had a part to play in that. so many people’s written words have played a part in helping me believe that there is more to me than my hurt – from the bible to the hobbit, to winnie the pooh. and today i want to say to those that are hurting – don’t let your hurt define you or tell you who you are or what you can be. here’s a quote from a a milne (the creator of winnie the pooh) that spoke to my life, speaks to each of those pictures above and hopefully will speak to you too.

through child’s eyes

there is something about children and the way they see things that fascinates me so i have been playing with images of children lately in photoshop. here’s three of my efforts, i hope they speak to you of simple faith and innocence.

don't let the facts get in the way of your creativity

by all means seek wisdom but look at the world through the eyes of a child

our childhood is at an end when things cease to astonish us

 

Princess Ponytail

my childhood while not an easy one was, when all is said and done, my childhood. i lived through it hoping for rescue from my abuse but never really believing it could come. then one day after many years i found a love that healed the hurting places and showed me i was in fact loved and missed by a loving heavenly dad who had originally created me to be his princess. even though for a while i was stolen away from him i found my way home and in the midst of the healing one day this story poured out of my heart. it was the first of many stories and poems during that healing period and opened a well of creativity that has never closed since. it is a story rich in symbolism and as you read you will no doubt get some of them. i didn’t deliberately put them there, this is how it flowed through my pen direct from my spirit and it has been edited as little as possible. “princess ponytail” is a story of hope, a story of courage and one of coming home. i pray you are moved by it and touched by love as you read.

PRINCESS PONYTAIL 

Once upon a time there was a princess, Princess Ponytail. Of course that wasn’t her real name, but everyone called her that because she had the most beautiful hair. It was long, dark and very silky. So long she could almost sit on it. She was quite proud of her hair and loved to wear it in a ponytail. She wore it like that so often that people started to call her Princess Ponytail and that’s how she got her nick-name.

Princess Ponytail’s father was the king of a huge country. This, of course, meant that he had enemies as well as friends. After all, one can’t always make decisions that please everyone, even if you are known as the wisest king in the world.

His influence was far reaching and other kings often came to confer with him on matters of State. However he always had time for Princess Ponytail, even when she would interrupt in the middle of a meeting! No matter how busy he was he would stop and lift her up onto his knee and listen while she told him all the important things that had happened; well, important to her anyway.

One day as the princess sat in her father’s lap and told him about the beautiful bird she had just seen, one of the king’s visitors smiled slyly. This was just the thing he was looking for. He had long waited for just the right moment to get back at the king for humiliating him in front of his countrymen. Obviously the king loved his daughter so what better way to get at him than to kidnap the princess! So that’s what he set out to do.

He disguised himself as a seller of ribbons and toys and waited at the edge of the gardens where he knew Princess Ponytail loved to play.

“Hello, fair one,” he said, as he appeared suddenly beside her. “I have a gift for you – ribbons for your beautiful hair. Would you like to come with me and see what I have in my cart?”

Something about the man frightened Princess Ponytail and she drew back slightly. “Don’t be afraid, child, I won’t harm you. Come and see the beautiful ribbons I have for you. My cart is just over here.”

Princess Ponytail followed the man over to his cart where the man pulled out a handful of ribbons, red and purple and gold. As she reached out to take them he grabbed her wrist and put a hand over her mouth. She was terrified! She tried to scream, to call out for help, but no sound would come out.

“Scream and I’ll kill you! Do you understand?” he hissed in her ear.

Princess Ponytail nodded her head mutely. He tied her hands roughly together and stuffed a foul smelling rag in her mouth. He covered her with old clothes and blankets as he pushed her roughly onto the cart. She felt smothered. Hardly able to breathe the princess felt like she was going to be sick. After what seemed like forever she felt the cart stop and then she was pushed roughly into a small shack.

The man stood before her. “Do as I say or you’ll never see your precious father again!” He reached out and slid his fingers through her ponytail. “We’ll have to get rid of that hair. Anyone would recognise you straight away. By the time I’ve finished even your own father won’t recognise you.” He picked up a pair of scissors and, sneering, grabbed her hair in one hand and began to cut.

“It’s no use screaming. No-one can hear you,” he said. Satisfied with his work he continued. “There! No one will ever recognise you now; you look nothing like a princess.” He laughed cruelly as he tossed an old pair of boy’s trousers and a shirt at her. “Put these on and give me your clothes,” he commanded.

Forced to hand over her beautiful clothes she watched the man thrust them into the fire. She cried to see the garments burnt. She was overwhelmed with sorrow as everything she had ever known was stripped from her. As she crawled into a corner, the princess curled into a tight ball and rocked. Pain along with terror focused itself into a silent scream. It filled every part of her being. That scream would echo through her mind time and time again in the months and years ahead.

The King sent out riders to search the far corners of his Kingdom for his beloved daughter. As time went by with no word of her he was forced to admit that he might never see his daughter again. However in his heart he never gave up hope that somehow, somewhere, she was still alive.

Princess Ponytail slowly became more and more withdrawn as her captor destroyed her sense of identity and self esteem. She never knew when he would turn on her and beat her or belittle her with the words he used. Words that slowly over time began to shape how she saw herself and became to her an invisible prison that she could not seem to escape from. He refused to even use her name simply calling her girl. Her abuser was clever. He knew that to really destroy her he would have to use not just words but deeds. So he did.

He filled both her days and her nights with fear and abuse. She never knew what to expect next as one moment he was nice then the next incredibly cruel. Night after night she would lie in her bed and wonder whether she would wake up to see him standing in her doorway. She came to dread the night.

The princess felt like she was no longer a person just a thing. A thing to be used to satisfy the man’s warped sense of power as time and time again he abused her.

Years passed by and although Princess Ponytail longed for her father she became resigned to her captivity. Over time she thought less and less about him until he became a vague memory. Still, in her heart she hoped that one day she would find her way home.

One day when the man had left the shack to attend to other things the girl reached under her pillow and pulled out a knife she had managed to hide. Slowly and carefully, she worked the window of her cell loose enough to break the seal free. With a creak loud enough to frighten even the bravest heart the window fell open. Quickly she wriggled her way through the window, frightened that the man would return at any moment and find her.

Free at last the princess stumbled through the woods. She forced herself to walk for hours until she felt she could not take another step. In the distance she saw a house. Lying quietly in the tall grass, she waited to catch a glimpse of the owners. Suddenly there was a rustling in the grass nearby followed by excited barking.

“Shush dog! Quiet boy! Oh please don’t give me away,” she sobbed, but the dog took no notice. Looking up the girl saw the dog’s owner staring down at her in surprise.

“Down, dog! Quiet!” he commanded. “Well, what have we here? Where did you come from boy? What are you doing trespassing on my farm?”

“Please sir, I’m not a boy. I’m a girl and I’m Princess Ponytail.”

“Don’t be silly, child, of course you’re not! Anyone can see you’re a boy. Besides, Princess Ponytail is dead.”

“But…but…no… I’m not.”

“No buts boy, come along with me,” the farmer said, as he helped her to her feet.

So Princess Ponytail was taken to the farmer’s home. The farmer’s wife gave her clean clothes and food but they didn’t believe her story. Although the couple treated her kindly Princess Ponytail longed to be back in her father’s house again.  But what was the use? She had no idea where she was or how to get home.

The farmer and his wife said she was welcome to stay and work on their farm. So she did. Weeks passed but still no one believed her. Princess Ponytail grew more and more despondent. It seemed to her that in some ways it was no better here than when she was imprisoned. Partial freedom was really no freedom at all. Princess Ponytail could have left the farmer’s house at any time. She was not their captive but the princess had become so used to captivity that she didn’t recognise freedom. Her captor had done his job well.

Unconsciously she replayed her abuse over and over again. Thoughts of death eventually began to fill her mind. Maybe she would be better off dead. She was sure her father would not want her back after what she had become. She didn’t realise at that stage that love saw beyond those things.

Fears filled her mind day after day. “What if I never find my way home? If I do will I be recognised? What if my Dad doesn’t know me? What if I can never go home?”

Fears that her Dad wouldn’t love and accept her after what she had been through tormented her mind. Why, even she didn’t like who she had become. She wondered whether she would ever be able to look at herself without hating herself. But by far most of the condemnation she suffered wasn’t even conscious. It had become part of her. She didn’t recognise that it was lies that filled her mind and dictated how she saw herself.

The farmer and his wife noticed her sadness and began to talk about it to each other. “You know, dear,” said the farmer’s wife. “Maybe, just maybe, we’ve made a dreadful mistake. I admit the girl doesn’t look much like a princess but how can we be sure?”

“I don’t know, dear,” replied the farmer. “Maybe the only way we can really find out is to take her to the king.”

So the next day they set out for the palace. The journey took many days but eventually the princess began to recognise landmarks, then buildings and then people. She cried out to them but they didn’t recognise her. Maybe no one would.  What if her father didn’t recognise her?  What if he sent her away? She was too scared to even hope.

Soon they reached the palace and entered its gates. Princess Ponytail didn’t look up, though. She just sat, head bowed, as the fear that her father would not recognise her gripped and tormented her mind.

“Don’t be afraid, child. I’ve heard the king is a wise and gentle man. He’ll not hurt you,” said the farmer’s wife as they entered the palace.

They made their way to the great hall where the king was seated talking to his councillors and explained to the footman at the door why they were there. He, in turn, approached the king and whispered something in his ear.

“Well bring her forward,” he said.

“Go on then, child,” said the farmer. “If what you’ve told us is true you have nothing to fear.”

The King’s heart leapt as Princess Ponytail walked towards him. Could it be, after all these years? Yet he was sure it was. “Daughter, is that really you?”

“Daddy!” she cried, and she ran toward him.

He stood and scooped her into his arms and together they stood tears flowing freely down their faces. Holding her close the king whispered “I thought I had lost you forever. Oh child, I’m so glad you’re still alive. You’ve grown and look so different but I would have known you anywhere. I have missed you so much!”

So the king got his daughter back and although they searched they never did find the man that had kidnapped the princess.

It took a while for the princess’s ponytail to grow back and sometimes people didn’t recognise her for who she really was, but soon her beauty and royal breeding began to show again. Even though the princess was home, and no longer captive, her mind took a lot longer to become free. But slowly, the love and acceptance of her father began to restore Princess Ponytail’s sense of identity and self esteem. Her days and nights became less and less filled with terror and the after-effects of abuse.

Princess Ponytail never forgot the time spent locked in the shack but was determined to use the things she had learnt through it to help others. There were many people whose lives were filled with suffering of one sort or another. Although she wished that her abuse had never happened, Princess Ponytail knew that she would probably never have known such a deep compassion for those who were hurting had she stayed sheltered in the palace.

The end

Copyright – ©  Lyn Packer 1992 Creative Fire Ministries

This story may not be copied or reproduced in part or in full without the written permission of the author

This story and many others can be found in my two books “Whispers from Heaven” 1 & 2 and are available on our website here