Ann and I have spent a number of years in Great Britain. You almost have to live in a country to begin to understand the great traditions and completion of the people and their government. Unlike here in the USA, they have always had a King or a Queen that ruled. To hear a vast audience sing, “God save our noble queen” as the British flag blew in the wind, and regardless of whether they were Whig or Tory their allegiance was always true to the one who sat on the throne…
    What I am writing is a story I heard while living there. I have done no research on it, so don’t bother. They said it was true and that’s good enough for me.
    Queen Victoria was the Queen of all Queens. She was a ‘people person and in her reign the common folks were considered first. Late in her reign they held a great celebration and parade in her honor. She was the aged queen but still only had the people in her heart.
    As she was preparing to retire that evening, her personal maid was helping, and she asked, “Madam, It’s been a great day for you of celebration and parades. Is there any one event that stands out in your mind above all the rest?”
    After reflecting for a long moment, she smiled and said “Yes, there is, now that I think on it. As I rode along waving a hand at the crowds with hundreds of the Royal Guard, and those playing the pipes, out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a man walking behind the crowds that bordered the roadway. He was keeping abreast with the moving of the parade, dressed in common clothes like one from the coal mines. When the parade stopped for a moment, he broke through the lines of people and was on the running board of my carriage before I knew it. It was done so fast that no one could stop him. He jumped over the small door that enclosed me and threw his arms around my neck and whispered in my ear, “Go ole’ girl, ye have done it well, ye have done it well!“.
    It brings to mind the words of Christ when he said, “Then shall the King will to those on his right, come, you who are blessed by my father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world . . . I was hungry and you gave me something to eat . . . I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink . . . I was a stranger and you invited me in . . . I needed clothes and you clothed me . . . I was sick and you looked after me . . . I was in prison and you came to visit me. . . I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of these brothers of mine, you did it for me” (Matthew 25:31-46).
    When the newly hired salesman wrote his first sales report to the home office it stunned the brass in the sales department. Obviously, the new hope was a blithering idiot, for here’s what he had written.
    “I seen this outfit which they ain’t never bought a dimes worth of nothing from us and I sole them a couple hundred dollars worth of guds. I am now going to Chcawgo.”
    Before he could be given the heavho by the sales manager, along came another letter. “I come here to Chcawgo and sole them hafe million.”
    Fearful if he didn’t fire the illiterate peddler, the sales manager decided to dump the problem in the lap of the president. The following morning the members of the IVORY TOWER were flabbergasted to see two reports on the bulletin board – with this note from the president tacked above.
    “We ben spending too much time tryin to spel instead of tryin to sel. Let’s watch those sails. I want that every budy should reed this cus I think that each one of yous should GO OUT AND DO AS HE DONE.”
    We often confuse IQ with wisdom . . . brilliance with common sense . . . and enthusiasm with immaturity. We tend to become intellectual snobs rather than men of wisdom and understanding.
    Wisdom comes from God it does not come from men (James 1:5-8). This explains that sometimes a simple ‘country bumpkin’ can get a job done when all the city folks are completely stumped.
    The apostle Paul wrote to the Roman Christians this very thing. “Ask God to bless everyone who mistreats you. Ask him to bless them, not to curse them. When others are happy, be happy with them, and when they are sad, be sad. Be friendly with everyone. Don’t be proud and feel that you are smarter than others. Make friends with ordinary people. Don’t mistreat someone who has mistreated you, but try to earn the respect of others. Do your best to live in peace with everyone” (Romans 12:14-18 – NIV).
    The reign of Queen Victoria goes down in history and one of the greatest if not the greatest of any Monarchs in history. All we can say is ‘GO IT OLE’GIRL, YOU’VE DONE IT WELL” And as Jesus said, “GO THOU AND DO LIKEWISE.”