I wrote this about a year ago... I didn't feel it was 'finished' enough to publish it... but as i'm looking back through older pasts i've written, i realize that I don't totally agree with everything I wrote then. My world, my ideas, the way i interpret and understand God and the world around me is always changing, growing, evolving. Growing more in Truth, I hope. So it's time this post got out there. I feel there's so much truth in here, I know I need to reread all of this, over and over. Royalty, Heavenly Royalty. I'm the King's beautiful daughter. You are the King's beautiful child, so glorious are you.. enjoy dear ones.
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I went for a run tonight, and halfway through, it occurred to me that I was seeing purple flowers everywhere. Purple has been a growing theme for me in the past month or two.. or while.. It's the color of royalty. This is significant to me because I believe that as a Christian, I am royalty. Throughout the New Testament we are told continually that we are "children of God" and "sons of God." I believe these words aren't just cute phrases, but give profound insight into who we truly are in Christ.
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I went for a run tonight, and halfway through, it occurred to me that I was seeing purple flowers everywhere. Purple has been a growing theme for me in the past month or two.. or while.. It's the color of royalty. This is significant to me because I believe that as a Christian, I am royalty. Throughout the New Testament we are told continually that we are "children of God" and "sons of God." I believe these words aren't just cute phrases, but give profound insight into who we truly are in Christ.
Throughout the run I pondering what it truly means to be royalty. How does the King view us? How does a person of royalty view ones own self?
One thing God has been teaching me is how secure and safe we are in His love. Nothing that happens to me, or nothing that I decide to do, nothing is outside of His grace and the work He has done on the cross for me. Its crazy to me how much God desires to be with me. How much He wants to come near to me, to bless and love me through times in my life when I feel unlovely. It reminds me of a verse I heard recently from Song of Solomon where the beloved says "dark am I, yet lovely" (1:5). I see my failings, yet God sees me as I truly am. He sees me in light of the cross, the blood of His son making me only pure and holy. He sees me as lovely, not as sinful, but as beautiful, clean, worthy, and precious.
I've been reading through the book of Isaiah for some time now and it continues to amaze me how much God deeply and unashamedly loves His people. He claims the Israelites no matter what, even in times when it would make total sense for them to be destroyed for their wickedness. God pours out mercy and compassionate love. "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would be like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea" (Isaiah 48:17-18). His heart is for us to believe and understand who we are. He teaches us how to live in our royalty, how sons and daughters of the King respond to His overflowing love. His heart for us is to live with the deepest peace as we trust His goodness, for faith and trust in His goodness to be constant in our hearts. The King shows His beloved His faithfulness. "They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts, he made water flow from the rock" (Isaiah 48: 21). He loves us so much He'll defy the norms of how the world "should" work for us. That's how much He loves us. There's nothing He would not do.
This next part blows my mind. In Isaiah 49, Isaiah tells Israel that even though they are distant and intentionally rebellious against the Lord, He still has a plan for them. He has made them for a beautiful destiny. He knows them intimately, each of them, they are precious to Him and through them He says: "I will display my splendor" (Isaiah 49:3). What?! They never get it right. They always rebel. They even choose to turn away from God, yet God sees who they truly are. He desires "to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel back to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength" (Isaiah 49:5). It doesn't make sense. Why would God love us this much? What does He get out of it? Joy. Somehow He gets the greatest joy out of relationship with His sons and daughters. He wants us to join with His heart, He units us with Himself and allows us to live out the Kingdom of Heaven right where we are. He even promises that "Kings will see you and stand up, princes will see and bow down, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you" (Isaiah 49:7). So much glory! We are chosen, dearly beloved, honored, royal, and respected children of the most high King.
Therefore, if this is the truth about who we are, if this is how God truly sees and values us, its time we started living in this reality. Its time we take to heart our inheritance, and believe who we really are. I've heard people compare this revelation with the movie The Lion King, where Simba is royalty, but he has chosen to "forget" who he truly is. His father comes to remind Simba the truth of his identity. He was created for a purpose and great destiny, "remember who you are." I think it's a great parallel to who we are in Christ. We have authority and power as co-heirs of Christ (Romans 8:17), Christ died and our old self died with Him on the cross so that we can be done dying. Our old self is dead, we now get to delight in what it means to "share in his glory" (Romans 8:17). We get to reflect the Kingdom of God through our lives. Jesus said in John 14 that "all who have faith in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these... and I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." (verses 12-14). Dang. That's big. Do I really believe that? Do I really live believing that my love for the Lord and my identity as His Daughter allows me to have the power of the Lord in my life that will reveal itself in amazing ways? Jesus did some crazy things while He was on earth, but this verse seems to indicate that I get the chance to be a part of even wilder experiences! crazy. This is what we're a part of.
God has also been showing me that a Daughter of the King is given what she needs. I get to walk through life with full confidence that I am well taken care of. What I need will be provided- it would be unthinkable for a King to give His child to be anything less than the best. I will be protected with people who will comfort me, care for my heart, walk alongside my destiny. I have been created for greatness. As the Daughter of the King I also get a place of authority. I get to speak with the King in a way that is intimate and precious. I get a voice, a chance to be close to my Father, to talk with Him, question Him, hear His heart. I can learn from Him because I am allowed the closeness to see Him move and work and think in ways that others cannot see. I get to understand His heart deeply. I get a relationship. I grow to become like Him. Even if I dislike what He says, if I doubt my true identity, if I do something completely unbecoming for royalty, I cannot be disowned. The truth is that I am royalty, I cannot be made unroyal. I can doubt who I am, but the truth is that I have been bought with a price. This truth should make me ever more eager and excited to grow in the knowledge of who I truly am. I have been given wisdom, love, and the glories of the Kingdom of Heaven, to enjoy and fellowship with the Father in. I get to rest in His banner of never-ending, deep love that He has lavished over me. Rest in His protection. Rest in the joy of the work of the cross. Rest in faith that He is good, He is greater, He is everything I'll ever need, and always faithful.
