You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. Isaiah 62:3
When
I started the program in Kenya in 1995, I named it "Children of the
Kingdom" after a very significant experience that I had when I was in
college. At a retreat, the speaker was a man named Ron Ritchie, and in many
ways, he looked like how I picture Moses. At one point, I was walking up to the
large group meeting and he was sitting outside. He stopped me and said very
simply, "Did you know that you are a daughter of the King?" I was a
bit taken aback by the question because I had not spoken to him on the retreat,
and yet he was asking me this direct and profound question. I remember saying
"yes" to which he responded, "You need to remember to walk like
one..." He did not know me at all so it was not an admonishment. It
was a challenge and an exhortation to remember who I belonged to. It was a
beautiful way to redefine identity and reclaim this in areas where I may have
been looking to other things for that identity.
I
have always loved children's stories about kings and princesses. And in
this Grand Story of which God has invited us to be a part, we are that princess
(or prince) for whom he came into the world to rescue. I am His daughter who is
learning to run to Him and to love him more as I learn more about his
heart for me and for this world.
When
I came to India, I brought some princess crowns that Anna let me bring from her
costume box. I have used them in each church when I have spoken to children to
remind them that they are children of the King. They are HIs precious treasure,
and though these people are Dalits (at the very bottom of the caste system
here), this is their true identity. They are precious children of God
whom He loves so deeply.
I
have been incredibly humbled by my time here as I have been treated like a
queen through the hospitality that is unrivaled here. The Thota family has made
so many sacrifices for us to be here. Ratnakar made a schedule of events for us
where we got to meet so many people, hear so many stories, and go to so many
different places. One village we went to (the one that was 147 km away that we
now joke is only 2 km since that is what people kept telling us when we asked
for directions), fasted for three days on our behalf and prayed for us for our
time here. Ratnakar's family rearranged their whole house (even borrowing
beds and buying sheets for us to use for the week even though we had told them
we were happy to sleep on the floor when we were arranging details over email about
our trip) so that we could stay in one of the rooms. (We found out that it took
3 days for them to do this to get it situated the way they wanted it to be when
we got here.) They have lavished us with amazing food (several different kinds
of curry dishes at each meal, new tastes and traditions to try each day).
They have gone above and beyond in honoring us beyond anything we could
have imagined. The attention to detail (getting things for us that they
knew Americans would use that they did not need-- like bottled water and toilet
paper) has been amazing. We have been served tea in the mornings when we wake
up. We have been lavished with love at every opportunity.
One
morning, Saroja brought in a few cotton Indian tops and leggings that she had
picked out for us. The amazing thing is that she picked out perfect ones for
each of us and our tastes. (We joked that she is a fabulous "personal
shopper.")Two days ago, Saroja and Ratnakar took the three of us into town
and asked us to pick out a special dress. (They were going to get us a sari,
but they thought it might be too hard for us to fix when we got home! :) The
dresses they got us are absolutely beautiful. I tried it on and really did feel
like a princess. They would not let us pay for them but insisted that this was
their gift to us.
Yesterday
was Hephzibah's 25th birthday. We came to breakfast in our beautiful
clothes they had given us and celebrated in the morning with cake and a
wonderful breakfast. Her sister (Mrudula who has Down's Syndrome) gave us
a gift of sharing some of her dancing with us before Amy left. We joined her in
a dance after a while and it was one of the most fun and special parts of our
time here. There was lots of laughter from all around because let's face it, we
don't have any rhythm when compared to our Indian sisters. :) It was a special
time for us to share in the dance as daughters of the King together.
We
had a time with their family before Amy left yesterday, and we were able to
express some of our gratitude. I began to cry as I tried to thank them for
treating us like queens and for giving up of themselves so much for this time.
This verse is one that I read to the family: "We always thank God
for all of you and pray for you constantly. As we pray to our God and Father
about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds and the
enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians
1:2-3
Rejoicing over the gift of being a daughter of the King and for the way God has poured out his love through this family.
My
two favorite quotes below about being a daughter of the King:
On May 28, 1972, the Duke of Windsor, the
uncrowned King Edward VIII, died in Paris. The same evening, a
television program rehearsed the main events of his life. Extracts
of earlier films were shown, in which he answered questions about his
upbringing, brief reign and abdication. Recalling his boyhood as
Prince of Wales, he said, “My father (King George V) was a strict
disciplinarian. Sometimes when I had done something wrong, he would
admonish me by saying, “My dear boy, you must always remember who you
are.” It is my conviction that our Heavenly Father says the same to
us everyday: “My dear child, you must always remember who you are.”
THERE was once a little princess who—
"But Mr. Author, why do you
always write about princesses?"
"Because every little girl is
a princess."
"You will make them vain if
you tell them that."
"Not if they understand what I
mean."
"Then what do you
mean?"
"What do you mean by a
princess?"
"The daughter of a
king."
"Very well, then every little
girl is a princess, and there would be no need to say anything about it, except
that she is always in danger of forgetting her rank, and behaving as if she had
grown out of the mud. I have seen little princesses behave like children of
thieves and lying beggars, and that is why they need to be told they are
princesses. -George MacDonald
a
classic scene from the movie Lion King with this message to
remember who you are as a child of the King:
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