a queen and a KING

Welcome to my very first post. I would say "Yikes!" but really, with so many blog sites out there in the OM zone- what's one more? My hope is to encourage joy. My post name is Miss Mitty Imagines, because Walter Mitty had a great imagination. Perhaps mine is greater still. - a dream. I was in a large canoe. Floating down a river like the Zambezi in the "African Queen". Someone was piloting the vessel calmly and proficiently. I was joyously along for the ride.Wind streaming in my hair. Suddenly on the shore was a group of aboriginals, and we were under attack. Some were blowing poisoned darts at us, but most were calling out for help. My pilot continued as tho nothing had changed- perhaps waiting for my word as to what to do next. My heart overflowed with mercy for the ones crying out. Tears streamed like the current that carried us away. Yet. I did nothing. Sadly, this is the way i live my life much of the time. My husband, 2 well grown children, a mostly part-time job at the library, some also part-time friends and my church ministry are all like that river and it's elusive pilot. I see those on the shore. Sure! Some are blowing poisoned darts my way. But many are crying out for help. My tears do nothing to stop my flowing progression. Those darts could kill me! They will hurt. The pilot has a mind of his own. The river is flowing swiftly. By the time we turn around it will be too late. Or as Charlie Allnut says to Rose Sayer in the African Queen, "A man takes a drop too much once in awhile. It's only human nature." The bible says that we are to prefer one another. That we are to love deeply, caring more for our sister or brother than for ourselves. Jesus is the good Shepherd who leaves the 99 to go out and hunt endlessly until that 1 is found and returned. The Heavens rejoice when even the lowliest person is saved. That means, God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit and ALL the angels have a giant party for each person who leans into His heart and says "I want to be loved by my God and my Creator." My Lord, our LORD, says that His shield of faith will stop all those poisoned darts. He is never too busy to stop the pilot and for Him it is never too late to turn around. And as Rose Sayer replies, "Nature, Mr. Allnut, is what we are put in this world to rise above." Today,i want to rise above human nature, so i will lift that shield of faith, stop my personal voyage to turn around and gather as many as i can, even if it's only one. We have a party to go to, and there is a KING waiting. Last night, i went out! Hurray! you say- like whooppee! but i have been suffering with Shingles, a painful and distressing malady, to say the least. It isn't that i've been home for o so long, but rather that i am a rather High I, and require much soothing from my peers. so out i went. Being part of a large Christian community, means that if you are not feeling too well, someone will desire to pray for you. They can just see the pain written on a face, or the struggle in the way someone carries themself. It's never hard to recognize pain. If we look. Someone saw some pain in me last night. I welcomed the prayer.