To the Isle of Joy

This image is taken from an oil on canvas painting by Roger Desouter on a greetings card published by Woomansterne Publications Ltd. of Watford.

Luke lived in a dry desert land. Everyone who lived there was always thirsty, and hungry. Some people had left the desert land to go to the Isle of Joy which belonged to the King of All. He was loving and generous. He loved to share the living water from His River of Life, and the sweet fresh fruit that grew plentifully all over the island.

Luke was tired of the dry and dusty life, so he set out to find the Isle of Joy and the King of All. He wandered here and there in his search until finally he came to an ocean where there were all kinds of ships waiting to sail. There were big ships and small boats, fancy and plain. Each one was equipped with an instrument panel through which the King of All could send His guidance and direction to all who journeyed toward the Isle of Joy. The people on board were shouting to him, "Come with us, we're going to the Isle of Joy!" Luke didn't know which ship to choose, until he saw the one that was small and plain; clean and well kept. It had no name on it, but the people kept saying, "This is the one, the ONLY one that is REALLY going to the Isle of Joy ".

The people seemed so happy when he boarded, and the Captains, there were two, smiled at him. He felt so good to know he was on the right ship. When he saw other ships sailing past, he was sad that they would never make it to the Isle of Joy; those people would never see the King of All.

Soon he was all settled in for the long ride across the ocean. He was watching the desert land fade out of sight when one of the Captains said, "We are so glad you are here. We are sure you will soon begin to understand what the friends of the King are like. You too, will want to be accepted when you get to the Isle of Joy. We, your Captains are here to help you be ready for that day, so you must always listen to what we say. Here is your uniform. Everyone on board wears one. This is how we know we are truly the friends of the King. Sometimes other ships will pass by, but do not look at them. The people will call out to you, but they are just trying to get you off of the King's ship and prevent you from reaching the Isle of Joy. They do not know how to read their instrument panels. We are the only ones who understand the direction of the King of All. As long as you stay on this ship, carry out your chores, wear your uniform and attend all the deck meetings, you'll be safe."

Luke soon learned that the Captains and all the people on board called their ship the King, even though it really had no name. He thought that must be okay since it was the only ship that REALLY belonged to the King of All. He was faithful to wear his uniform everyday, because he knew it upset the Captains whenever the friends of the King disobeyed.

It was by accident one day that he saw a small life boat leaving the side of the King. Some friends of the King were being pulled out of the water onto the life boat, and he noticed they were not wearing their uniforms. They were crying, and the people who had pulled them from the water were hugging them and wrapping them in blankets to warm them. He watched as the life boat took them to another ship. Quickly he turned his eyes away. He knew he was never to even look at them.

"Captain, why were those people in the water?" Luke asked.

"Were you looking at the other ships?

"Uh nu no, I wasn't...I just..I just accidentally saw a life boat."

"You should keep your eyes focused here in the King and on us, your Captains. We work hard to look after you. We could have done so many other things, but we chose to be Captains for the King. We hope you appreciate that."

"Oh, I do...I do, " said Luke, and he wished he hadn't asked about the people in the water.

"It was their choice," said the older captain, "They never really understood about the King. They just wanted to do things their own way. "

"I'm glad I understand," thought Luke, though a little bewildered. "It would be scary away from the King and without the Captains to look after me."

Soon there were more and more people either jumping off the ship or being thrown off by the Captains. Every day the friends of the King talked about it. Some would say, "Too bad those ones were so bitter, and wouldn't obey the Captains. It's their own fault they had to be thrown overboard."

Others would say, "No, the Captains are wrong." The friends of the King would then turn their backs, and some would secretly tattle to the Captains hoping to appear more loyal than the others. Luke couldn't believe such kind and loving men as the Captains would do this. They wouldn't just throw the friends of the King out there to fend for themselves. They looked after everyone on the King's ship. That was their job. But people were ending up in the water all the time. Luke was puzzled.

Every day there were chores for the friends of the King. They had to polish the brass and wood on the ship until it sparkled and shone. They had to wash and press their uniforms so there was never a spot or a wrinkle. Sometimes they grew very tired, but they still didn't stop. There was an ever present fear that the Captains would think they were rebelling or becoming bitter, so they worked harder and harder.

Occasionally there would be questions about the King of All and the Isle of Joy, but the Captains said, "Just keep the ship clean, wear your uniform and come to the deck meetings. Then you won't have to worry about anything else."

Luke loved to dust the instrument panel. There he could sense a closeness to the King of All and feel the comfort of his direction. Once in awhile he would read the panel and would be puzzled that he understood its instructions so differently from the Captains. But he tried not to question them, because he knew what could happen to him.

Sometimes when Luke was sweeping and cleaning, he would find a little leak in the floor of the ship. He told the friends of the King, but they sneered and said, "You must be imagining that Luke, because the King is perfect. It doesn't have leaks."

"Come and see, " he said. But it was no use. They refused to even look. They said that Luke was starting to sound like some of the others who had left the King. He discovered more and more holes that needed repair.

The Captains became angry when they heard of Luke's complaints and warned him, "Be careful about speaking poorly of our ship. It is a perfect ship. The friends of the King are not perfect, but the King is."

Although he really tried not to look at the other ships, he couldn't help it. He saw them go by with people cheerfully singing and rejoicing. They would call out to him. He heard them saying, "Please listen to us. We want to help. Your ship is in danger. It looks like you may have some serious leaks. We'd be glad to help you mend them, or we'll send life boats so you can ride with us. We're going to the Isle of Joy. Please come. There is safety there with the King of All." Luke would quickly turn away. He thought maybe he could fix the leaks himself. He had seen people making repairs to the other ships. The friends often talked about all the leaks on the other ships. Sometimes they even laughed about the people trying to repair them.

One day the Captains found Luke finishing up a repair and said, "Luke, what are you doing? You cannot change the King. It has always been here and has always been the same. You cannot make changes to it. And, look at your uniform. What a mess!"

Indeed Luke did look a mess, but he knew in his heart he was doing the right thing. He had been wondering for a long time if this ship would ever make it to the Isle of Joy. He knew now that if the Captains threw him overboard, there would be life boats on the way to help him to safety. Others, who had jumped off the ship or some who had been thrown off, had decided to be helpers on the life boats. The main thing, was to be sure that as many as possible would make it to the Isle of Joy. The leaks were getting worse and worse. Luke knew he wouldn't be able to fix them all by himself. The Captains were getting more and more angry. They told the friends of the King that they had better not help Luke, but some were beginning to see water pouring into the ship.

"That is not water," said one of the Captains as he pushed some heavy furnishings in front of one of the holes.

Some of the friends grumbled, "We should throw the Captains overboard," but none of them really meant what they said. They were just upset.

"We need to help the Captains see that the ship needs repairs," said Luke. But the more they insisted there were holes in the ship, the angrier the Captains became, until one day they asked Luke and some others to stop attending the deck meetings. The Captains felt they had to prevent Luke and the others from deceiving the loyal friends of the King.

Finally Luke said, "I have a question about the directions on the instrument panel." When the Captains learned he disagreed with their interpretation, they rebuked him sternly. Luke was terribly hurt since his question was not meant to cause trouble. He decided it was necessary to hold a special deck meeting. All were welcome to attend, but serious warnings were given to the friends of the King to keep away from any meetings the Captains hadn't planned. The ones who did meet together excitedly discussed their amazing discovery about the way to the Isle of Joy.

While seeking direction from the instrument panel, each one had experienced an overwhelming sense of love. It was so compelling and wonderful it could have come only from the King of All. They discovered that it was not this ship that would safely bring them from the desert land to the Isle of Joy. It was not ANY ship, for without the ocean, which belonged to the King of All, the ships would simply be still. If they used their feet to walk they would need the earth on which to place them, and the earth belonged to the King of All too. Even the instrument panel was just a device through which the King of All could communicate. It was only the love and kindness of the King of All that even made the journey possible. He was the only way to the Isle of Joy. It was because of His love that he had prepared such a paradise for his people, and because of His kindness He made it possible for them to come. He provided instruction for the journey to make it as pleasant as possible. Helping others find the way, caring for His people and the vessels that carried them, and especially caring for those who were misguided and lost would be the desire of those who had experienced his marvelous acceptance and grace.

Having received the unconditional love of the King of All made each one want to demonstrate that same love to everyone else. During their deck meeting it was decided that the love of the King of All was sufficient to see them to their journey's end no matter what ship transported them. His guidance and love were always there. Knowing this, and having the very Spirit of the King of All within them was all they needed. But, a question still hung in the heart of everyone there.

"What about the Captains and the King?"

"The King, the King... Are you talking about the ship or the King of All when you say King?" asked Luke.

"Oh yes, that is confusing, isn't it? We could refer to the ship as our friends' ship, since our friends love it so much," came a suggestion.

"Yes the FriendShip," all agreed, "that includes our friends and their ship."

Close by, the younger Captain knelt to conceal himself from them. He had been sent by the older Captain to monitor the meeting. From his position there he saw the sky; the darkness of it, yet lit by a beautiful moon and thousands of stars twinkling. He saw the vastness of the sea; how futile the ship without it.

"We must love them as the King of All loves us," were the words that spilled from Luke's heart.

All the people at the special deck meeting gathered close together. Embraced in love their tears flowed and were counted like tears in a bottle by the King of All. He knew everything about everything. Sometimes he grieved over the differences between those who loved Him, but He knew that one day they would see clearly as though through His eyes.

The FriendShip continued to sail, though it became less and less worthy of the ocean waves. Luke and the others attempted to help wherever there seemed an opportunity. The Captains were disgruntled since they felt it was Luke and the rebels who needed help. They even began to say that if any holes did develop in the Ship, Luke and those with him were responsible. Their great suspicion of mutiny could only be true if mutiny could be fueled by love.

Some of the friends made decisions to leave by way of the lifeboats, and then would call out with help from other ships. Some remained as helpers on the lifeboats, and a few remained to help Luke onboard the FriendShip. Repairing the leaks was challenging since the work had to be approached so discreetly, but he felt that all things were possible with the King of All. The FriendShip was very precious indeed; his love for it and the friends motivated every repair and every attempt to discuss the matter with the Captains.

At one such visit the younger Captain gently and privately said, "Luke, take heart, the Isle of Joy is not far away."

That comfort so dear, brought tears of joy and thanksgiving. This Captain knew Luke as a friend of the King.

On the Isle of Joy, the King of All looked out over the water. His Spirit hovered there. He saw the ships and boats. He saw the FriendShip. He saw Luke and the Captain; the love between them, and He saw that it was good.