This morning I was led to read an allegory I wrote many years ago and lo and behold, it contained a message that changed my heart and atmosphere. May it do the same for you:

“It’s not as you expect!” Regal gently spoke to his sister Nosey-Pernicious, known just as Pernicious.

“What do you know?” she snorted, with her head held high. “You don’t have a higher education like I do! – Your head is always in the clouds and you are constantly dreaming about Him. You know nothing about what to expect in this life; the true values of riches, prosperity, power and acclaim are not found in you.”

Regal sighed. His sister had been a foe from the day she was born. She did not have the same father [Humility] as he did- Hers [Pride] had divorced their mother [Godly Intention] and raised Pernicious, training her in all his ways. It was just as Regal’s Lord had said; “A man’s enemies shall be members of his own household.”

Knowing that he was in the Father’s will and that he had learned Godly Intention’s ways, Regal accepted the conflict as being one from above to perfect his nature. He smiled at Pernicious with love in his heart- a love that had been developed from the outcome of many prayers over the years. Whenever he looked at his sister’s face, He saw the cross in it, and would remind himself that one day she would bow low and be changed. He saw her with a new heart filled with compassion, kindness and mercy.

Pernicious was expecting to be married to the prince of the city in which she lived, and did all she knew to make herself beautiful. She also took to using witchcraft to draw him to herself.

What Pernicious did not know was that her desired prince had changed his name from Tyranny to Charming, but kept Tyranny as his legal name. No one knew this because they had been charmed by him and had failed to look at the records in The Holy Book. Had they looked, they would not have been seduced and would have realized that they had the power to throw him out.
Regal knew this, but being the only one who was aware of the deception, he had to wait for the time that the people got the revelation for themselves, for the Kingdom of Tyranny, Pride and Dictatorship to be overthrown.
Regal was very intimate with the Holy Spirit… the One whose light was in every man, but in darkness. As there was no darkness in Regal since he had fully matured having obeyed all Godly Intention’s instructions, great light beamed out of him wherever he went. Since all the inhabitants in the town of Destiny Unknown had been blinded by sorcery, they could not see the light, but they could feel the warmth of Regal’s light and were drawn to him.

Regal was shown their salvation to come by a butterfly named Imagination who sat on his shoulders every day, flapping her wings and bringing refreshing breezes of revelation. To each person, Regal would bring freshly made bread baked in the oven of his heart. There was no bread in the land like it and the people hungered for Regal’s bread every day. They rose up early in the morning and would stand at the gate to receive it.

The gate was nameless at the time Regal first entered the city, but as he spoke to the people about giving it a name, an ember of desire began to burn in their hearts. And so, it came to pass that a city council was held while Prince Tyranny was out of town, and it was unanimously decided that Regal should be the one to name it, since he had been the originator of the idea.

Expectantly they waited upon him to do so, but just at the moment Regal was about to proclaim it, Pernicious came running on the scene. A dark cloud was on her head, with lightning flashes jetting out in every direction threatening to slay the people. “Don’t listen to him, she shouted. “My brother is a dreamer, with no accomplishments to his name.”

Because the people were blind and could not see the great beauty emanating from Regal, they took heed to Pernicious, for they had nothing but a reasoning mind, not a true mind to guide them. Their ears could not hear the truth.
Regal’s heart almost stopped beating, for Pernicious’ lightning and witchcraft had taken his breath away. Immediately, Imagination’s wings began flapping hard- so ardently that her breezes became a mighty wind that blew all throughout the land and knocked Pernicious off her feet and made her speechless.

Out of that wind came forth an army of angels that filled the land… an army that had rods that would touch everyone’s eyes and hearts, at the very moment the city’s gate would be named. Since their arrival, every mouth was hushed and a great silence filled the earth. The drums of Heaven then began to roll and the people’s ears were opened to hear “The Voice” speaking through Regal.

“By The Most High’s authority invested in me, I proclaim the name of the city’s gate to be Praise and Thanksgiving for it is through praise and thanksgiving that all shall be made new. Every man’s name shall be changed and the city shall be called Love.
Regal turned to his sister and raised her up by his hand, which had the power of The Most High in it to transform her. You shall no longer be called Pernicious, but you shall be known as Tender Mercy from here on in.

And so, Regal’s final words resounded, “It is not as you expect, for it is not as man expects: It is as God wills!”