Royal Blood

I got a real kick out of my Bible Study today (Beth Moore - Living Beyond Yourself if anyone's interested). A lot of what was said caught my heart's attention but I'll focus on one thing today - we are royalty.

Yeah, I know we know that if God is the King and we are His kids then that makes us princesses and knights (cause most boys really want to be valiant knights instead of the boring princes that seem to do mostly whining in the movies - but that's another post:-). Even if we walk around in jeans and T-shirts, we are really dressed in the royal robes of Christ - we just have to see them with the eyes of faith.

Beth talked about how when we are little, the idea of being royalty in a real kingdom seems much easier to believe than when we are older. Rejection, pain, failure and awkward, growing bodies seem to make us forget that our Daddy thinks we are really beautiful. That our Abba Father really does treasure us like the apple of His eye.

I can be such a perfectionist - working so hard to try to earn the favor of the One who already favors me. So silly - but I keep doing it. Until that still small voice whispers patiently to my heart that I am already loved. See I had to earn the favor of my parents. I knew the score and as long as I kept my neck above the water line, I was approved of. I don't think I ever really felt "favored". That's an amazing word, isn't it? God favors each and every one of us. He is keenly aware of our every need, our every hurt, our every breath.

I'd probably do a lot better if I would be as aware of Him as He is of me. But like most everybody, I can get wrapped up in the busy-ness of life and forget to remember that I am already His - and allow myself to relax into that truth.

I shared a prayer request with the group after my Bible Study and even before it was out of my mouth I realized that once again, I was trying to do too much. I simply had to let some of the things that were overwhelming go. That's hard for me to do, but in doing that, it's a huge reminder that I am not able to do everything. God gives me the strength I need for the things He wants me to do. It's all the other things that I think I'm supposed to do that need to be tossed - simply because they are what keeps me from enjoying the fact that I am His princess. I can climb into His arms and rest there.

Now if I could just get all that through my head...