We Are Royalty
Discovering Our Self-Worth
Part 1
During October, the retail market will be flooded with a colorful array of costumes. Predominantly among them are frilly princess gowns and the capes of mighty warriors. Then on All Hallows Eve, or Halloween, both children and adults will impersonate their favorite characters of distinction. Although it’s all in good fun, perhaps there is something more to it. Do we identify with being highly valued for reasons beyond the masquerade party?
The Bible tells us in Luke 1:32-33 that Jesus will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, receiving the throne and reigning over a kingdom that will last forever - there will be no end! 2 Peter 2:9 reminds us that believers are the people who are “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation!” As Christians, we belong to His kingdom, so wouldn’t it be natural for us to be drawn to the idea of royalty?
In Romans 8:17, Paul tells us, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” So how do we reconcile the call to both glory and suffering?
Jesus told parables to help us relate to the Father. In the same way, I would like to take a look at the story of a young lady of noble descent who had more than her share of sufferings. She was orphaned, suffered slavery, and abused in her own home. Her name was Cinderella. Most of us are familiar with the story. Cinderella’s father had been very wealthy and widowed while she was still a child.
We are also led to believe that he was an aristocrat who remarried Cinderella’s cruel stepmother after the death of his wife. (Disney clues us in at the very beginning of the animated film.) After her father passed, her upbringing was less than a dignified one. With no real sense of belonging, she was forced to wear rags and to be a slave in her own home because her stepmother and stepsisters were jealous of her beauty. They did everything in their power to prevent her from going to the royal ball, where she eventually met her prince charming. Regardless of her dismal circumstance, she never lost her self-worth. She was a cherished daughter of noble descent, and she knew it.
In the more recent Cinderella movie, we see a flashback to when she was a child. At her dying mother’s side, she tells her to “have courage and always be kind.” Cinderella recalls what her mother had said and obeyed her mother’s final wishes.
As Christians, we are called to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well,” as Jesus said in Matthew 6:33. Sometimes we expect “all these things” to be added unto us and then try to squeeze God in there somewhere. Then we wonder why He has not given us a sense of self-worth, hope, and faith. We can get discouraged and want to throw the towel in when it seems there is no hope is in sight. Do we, like Cinderella, get discouraged when evil plans of others seem to threaten us? Cinderella’s stepfamily forgot her royal heritage, and we too can lose sight of ours, but take heart, my beloved, your heavenly Father is a king, and you are of royal heritage!
Although we are not told anything about Cinderella’s faith, there are clearly Christian principals at work.
It takes perseverance under challenging circumstances to remain faithful. Cinderella almost lost hope when, despite how hard she tried to go the ball, her plans were sabotaged by her wicked stepmother. In keeping with her birth mother’s wishes, she was kind and did not retaliate against wickedness, was courageous, and kept the faith. When persecuted, she sang songs of hope to pass the day. She was denied a fancy ball gown, so she made her own. Locked up in the castle, she had no friends but talked with the lowliest of animals, mice. (They would later drive her to the ball.) She waited for her prince to come and did not settle for less just because her wicked stepmother expected her to. She was blessed as a result.
I don’t expect that a “Fairy Godmother” will appear just because we are faithful, but we have a Father God who promises to provide His best for those who trust in Him. How and when God blesses us is up to Him.
Knowing and experiencing our worth is not always easy. We are born into a world where others do not always respect our value. For some, even members of our own family can hurt us with harsh words that can cut us down.
No matter what your status or upbringing, our heavenly Father is a King and loves us so much that He sent His Son to die for us. No matter how others have treated us, and how menial our labor, it will never change how valuable we are to God. John 3:16 tells us that the only requirement for salvation is that we believe in Jesus Christ. However, experiencing the blessings or “these things” requires that we remain in an abiding relationship with God that puts Him first. God asks us to do our part and live a faithful life. We can be saved, but live like spiritual paupers.
Mark 12:30 says to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” We are called to be kind even when others don’t recognize our worth because God does.
Remember that you, my beloved, are royalty; a prince or a princess treasured by God, and that’s no fairy tale.
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“That’s what we storytellers do. We restore order with imagination. We instill hope again and again and again.” -Walt Disney
