Wednesday, March 19, 2014

When "Princess" Is an Insult ~ by @ShelleyHendrix

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"What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are." 


I John 3:1a 
The Message






I don't know about you, but for most of my life I resisted the term "Princess" when used as a label or description of me as a person.  To me, "Princess" was connotative to:

  • Spoiled
  • Entitled
  • Lazy
  • Weak
  • Arrogant
  • Out of touch with real people with real issues
So of course I didn't want to be thought of as Princess Shelley. 

Yuck!

I gravitated much more to warriors - people who knew that life is a battle and that bad things happen to even the best people.  I connected more with survivors - those who had experienced the worst things life could throw at them and still take another step and breathe in and out for another day.  It might surprise you to know that I also detested the color pink. 

With this said, I hope that if you too have been (or still are) resistant to being called a "Princess" (or "Prince" for the guys) you'll give me just another minute to share with you what Scripture is actually describing when referring to us in this way.

God's Children are Royalty

As children of God, deeply loved by our Heavenly Father, our adoption/new birth into His family also brings with it all the benefits of being in such a family as His. 

"For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we really are God’s children. And since we are his children, we will share his treasures—for all God gives to his Son Jesus is now ours too." -Romans 8:16-17a TLB

As the King James Bible says, we are now "joint heirs with Christ".  What belongs to the Son of God belongs to the Daughters of God as well. 


God's Children are Equipped

You have been given everything you need today to do what God has called you to do today. 

Think about that:  Everything you need to please God you have right now as you trust God.  He doesn't call or require of us anything that He is not willing to also do in and through us. 

"Dear friends, God the Father chose you long ago and knew you would become his children.  And the Holy Spirit has been at work in your hearts, cleansing you with the blood of Jesus Christ and making you to please him.  May God bless you richly and grant you increasing freedom from all anxiety and fear.  All honor to God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; for it is his boundless mercy that has given us the privilege of being born again so that we are now members of God’s own family." - I Peter 3:2-3a TLB

"For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [[a]full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue)." - II Peter 1:3 AMP


God's Children are Overcomers

You do not become an overcomer by overcoming.  In other words, God is not waiting impatiently (or even patiently waiting) for you to finally get victory over some stronghold in your life.  He is patiently waiting for you to believe He has already made you an overcomer when He placed His Spirit within you.  This same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, y'all, now resides within every single person who has embraced Christ by placing his/her trust in Him.  It's simple, but it gets so confusing, doesn't it?  Bottom line is this:  You're an overcomer, and as you trust that this is true of your new nature, you'll find yourself overcoming. 

"Little children, you are of God [you belong to Him] and have [already] defeated and overcome... because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world." - I John 4:4 AMP

"My dear children, you come from God and belong to God.  You have already won a big victory ... for the Spirit in you is far stronger than anything in the world." (Same verse, The Message)

  •  Spoiled?  No, but well-loved and cared for by God, my Father.
  • Entitled?  Yes.  Entitled to live out of my new nature of royalty with humility.
  • Lazy?  No.  Intentional.  Focused.  Free to prioritize as God leads and not as pressure demands.
  • Weak?  Left to myself?  Totally, but His strength within me is rock solid and secure!
  • Arrogant?  Hardly.  Humble people simply know who they are without trying to pretend to be anything more...or less!
  • Out of touch with real people with real issues? ~ More in touch than ever before because of Christ in me.  Able to engage with people where they are without pressuring them to be anything other than who they are.  Able to trust the Spirit of Christ to lead me in ministering to others in their real issues as I am learning to trust Him in my own. 

With Great Love,Princess Shelley

2 comments:

  1. This hit it right on the head! This is what I have been trying to tell young teens for awhile. Thanks for putting it better than I could. I will be sharing this with them, ( and rereading it for me :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Anonymous, Thank you for reading, sharing your comment, and for pouring truth into the next generation!

      Blessings!

      Delete

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