The Lamp Post

...an allegorical tale of a Beast, a King and a Bella

Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, there lived a young man who was the son of a very powerful king.  Now the king was gentle and kind, loving and patient, but also very wise. 

The son knew how awesome and powerful his father was.  He trusted the king and understood that whatever the king did was best.  As a child, before making any decision the son would lovingly go and ask his father for advice and direction so as to be sure his pursuits would be successful.  The king adored his son for his trust, and ordered beautiful items to be placed at his feet. As the boy grew older the king lavished his son with riches, the best company, and experiences that others marveled at.  And through it all, the king diligently protected his son, whom he loved.  

Decidedly sure that the King’s love and protection knew no bounds, the young man set out to prove his trust and loyalty to the king.  Now the kingdom was riddled with dangers. There were dragons and lava pits, quicksand and wolves with giant fangs, and the not-so-random but ever-present lamp posts.  It would have been nearly impossible to walk across the kingdom without running into one or multiple of these somewhat deadly obstacles. As the son thought about this truth, he realized that there was no better way of showing how much he trusted his King’s protective love than to do just that:  walk straight across the kingdom, blindfolded! The loved and trusting son sent word to his dad, tied a velvet scarf over his eyes, took a deep breathe and started walking.

Seconds (and exactly six and a half steps) later, the king received the son's plan. Saddened by the way his son tested him, the wise king understood the longings of the son’s heart and pained for him.  For the king knew that buried deep within his son lay a thorn of fear and doubt (for one does not need to prove what is already known).  Only the son could say if his fear was to find the king unable to protect him or to find himself unworthy of protection...or perhaps both.

The loving and wise king knowingly set out after his son.  

The son, now at step eight, was being carefully watched by all the people of the land, who knew how much the king loved his son.  "Why," they rightly wondered, "would this son test a love he knew so long?" "When the king comes, he will surely scold his son so that this foolishness is stopped!"

When the king caught up to his son (at step 12) he did no scolding. Instead, he quietly instructed planks to be placed over all lava and quicksand pits in the son’s path. When the two local dragons came to attack the son (at step 257 and 998), they instead found themselves running from the powerful might of the king. Instead of condemning his son, the king covered him during storms (at step 434, 1456, 10891 and 40432) and shielded him from the wolves at night, who circled with drooling hunger.  

And then, on day three, and step 52463, once all the horrible danger was dealt with, the wise king stepped back and …the son ran head-long into a lamp post.   

Surprised by this sudden collision, the son removed his blindfold, saw the lamp post, and scolded himself for his silliness.  Unaware of the king’s presence or the many dangers that the King had protected him from, the son’s heart saw only his own foolishness and disappointment. He hung his head and walked away. Of course he knew that no one could walk across the kingdom without encountering dangers, but he had hoped that his father would protect him, especially from something so small as a telephone pole.

Now, it would have been wise (but the story would have ended much sooner) if the son had looked around, seen his father, and shared his feelings. Then the father could have told the story of his endless protection and boundless love, of the dragons, and wolves, storms and pits that he shielded the son from on his journey. He could have explained his original sadness and compassion for his son, and how he waited for the least dangerous of obstacles to encourage his son away from the foolishness of his blindfolded journey. The king longed for this conversation, but he longed with a silent patience that only the most loving of hearts could hold.

Instead of going to the king, the son buried his shame and confusion. He pushed down his questions, thoughts and pain, put a smile on his face, and chose to pretend the incident had never happened. But the heart does not forget so easily. This is not how the heart works. When we push things down, ignore them, or bury them, they grow bigger.

And so, as time passed, and shame and questions lingered and multiplied, the seeds of doubt and fear the son had buried began to grow. They grew like a dark and prickly thorn, with a single rose bloom on the top. But the king protected him, even then. For the king adored this son. What broke the heart of the king was the way the son hid this growing rose of doubt from him. The son had claimed to trust his life in the hands of the king, but could not even trust this rose to his care. If only this thorny rose would be brought into the light...if only his son would reveal his fear. Then, all would be known and pain would be put to rest.

Why the son refused to reveal his shame to his father, only the son could know...

Masked with a fake identity of fearlessness, and living like a beast of burden charged with carrying a heavy heart, the loved son moved through time careful not to upset the rose which he guarded.  

And he did well at this task until young Bella tiptoed carefully into the West Wing of his heart and gently touched the imperfect and beautiful rose, which the son protected.  She had been invited into his outer chamber, had accepted and enjoyed all she met there, and had sought to explore the heart she was growing so fond of, but the man would not have it.  Afraid of the rose’s revealing, the loved son of the king pushed the woman away, forcing her from his life. Although it seemed to the son that he was protecting himself and her from coming face-to-face with the turmoil and suffering of brokenness and shame, the woman knew that the whole man could not be known until the rose was placed in the light.  She begged for his mercy and awareness, but he refused to listen to her, sending her away forever.

Forbidden from reentering the heart of the man, the young Bella sought counsel in the King.  As they sat together in their sadness, they smiled at their shared experience with this man. Both loved through the silence and loved despite being pushed away.  Both enjoyed the depth of heart the man was afraid to embrace. Both had reached out a hand to keep him from falling. But the Beast was not yet ready to be saved.