God is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords. I am His child. I am His daughter. That makes me a princess! Join me in a year of discovery as I search for what it means to be a princess - how to live as an heir of the most high. Learn with me, write with me, and become part of the process as I write my next book - Livin' Like A Princess - Claiming Our Birthright as Heirs to the King!


Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Privileges and Responsibilities


This is my fourth week of posting to this blog about my claim to be a "princess", and it has occurred to me that this endeavor is going to be quite challenging.  I don't mean challenging as in my new attempt at exercising:  I mean challenging as in I'm being hit in every area of my life to negate what I am trying to accomplish.
            I live in a fallen world, ready to disappoint me and tear me down.  (That's not a cynical view - normally I'm optimistic.  It's just fact.)
            This past week alone I have had two good friends disappoint me. I've had a few unpleasant conversations with my hubby, and my kids have treated me more than once like I was their servant.  We are, after all, only human.
            I am not pretty this week.  My new foundation made my face break out, and my bangs are so long I've taken to pinning them back with a bobby pin.  I've also had to deal with a few health issues and realized I didn't have the funds to visit both the doctor and the dentist, so had to choose.
            I also have my own grouchy self to deal with.
            But over the weekend I was also sobered by the fact that people need me.  A friend contacted me with a serious problem with her child.  Somebody else I know has a health concern and needs prayer.  My own family needs some of my time, my patience, and my compassion.
            Being a princess, I guess, not only comes with privileges; it comes with responsibilities.  While God promises me all sorts of things as His child, He also expects me to take what I've been given and do something with it.  I was put on this earth to help others.  We all were.
            From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.  Luke 12:48b
            So, I sit here, writing with a sigh, wondering if I can really live up to the claim I've laid. 
            I know it's true.  I know it's real.  But it's gonna be a lot of work.
            I've written out what I think our some of our privileges as an heir of God, and also some of our responsibilities, backed up by scripture. I'll try to give more details in my next blog post.
            I think I'll work on one each month.  Maybe we can work on them together? 

Monday, January 17, 2011

Pondering the To-Do List


It's so easy to feel unworthy - like I'm not measuring up in today's world.  I have a pretty good self-esteem…but still.
            My husband didn't kiss me good-bye this morning when he left.  He's not mad at me - just busy and was trying to get the kids out the door. 
            My kids didn't practice their violin enough last week and the teacher knew.  They're still young, so of course it's my fault. 
            I've had my son's orthodics for two weeks and still haven't cut them down to fit in his athletic shoes and basketball season is almost over.
            At school, the teacher is expecting us to read a book she sent home.  Neither of us has started it yet and the semester is nearly over.
            I forgot to sign my kids up for swim lessons all last summer.
            My publisher wanted my book last year…and I'm still polishing up the second draft this year.
            The pasture fence is falling apart and I haven't had time to repair it.   The horse needs more attention.
            I have needed to get several fillings replaced in my teeth - for over a year now.
            I really should exercise more.
            My house is cluttered.
            My niece's birthday was last week and I went from wanting to get a present, to wanting to get out to buy a card, to simply posting "happy birthday" on her facebook page.
            In all areas of my life, it would be easy feel like a failure.  Just reading my latest Woman's Day magazine, I realize I could look younger if I use Olay products, streamline my linen closet, and prepare meals in less than 20 minutes.  I should be able to do all of this while fitting in a new exercise plan, working, and taking care of two young children.
            Oh - and don't forget the marriage.  The marriage has to come first.
            No wonder I'm so exhausted.
            But God doesn’t look at my "to-do" list and count me a failure.  God sees the miracle that is me, and loves me so much that He thinks I'm worth dying for.
            "Be still and know that I am God," He says. 
            God wants a relationship with me.  He wants me to take time out of my busy life to spend a few minutes with Him each day.  Imagine somebody who thinks spending time with you is way more important than anything else!  More important than all your accomplishments.  He's not worried about whether there's milk in the fridge or your socks match or if it has been six months since you got the oil changed in your car (and yes, it has…).  What He cares about, above all else, is that you spend time with Him. God wants to be with you. 
            Be still and know that I am God.
            He created me - He knew me before I was formed in my mother's womb.  He has plans for me. Plans to prosper me and not harm me.  Plans to give me hope and a future.  He wants to spend eternity with me.
            To God, I am worthy.  I am His child.  I am His heir.
           
            

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Not Feeling Much Like A Princess Today


The past few days I've had a virus, and have been feeling (and looking) nothing at all like a princess.  Nor have I been waited on hand and foot, although hubby has done a pretty good job of taking over some of the chores. (Thanks, Hon!)  The kids, however, don't realize that when I say "Mom's resting" it means to actually let me rest.  (Although their snuggly little bodies and warm hugs can be comforting!)
            It seems to me that we, as women, never get to completely take the day off.  Maybe it's our own fault, I don't know.  But that's an entirely different blog and conversation.
            At any rate, I haven't been feeling at all like royalty.  So how do I know that I am a princess?  Is there really anything to this "heirs of God" claim I'm making?  Maybe I'm just some crazy woman who looked up a scripture and thought, "Hmmm…here's an idea."  So I started looking up more scripture to see what I could find.
            When each of my kids was born, I started a journal to record their "firsts" and also the little everyday things that make them special to me.  So I decided to see if God did the same thing for us.
            He did.  I found tons of scripture verses in the Bible proclaiming our worth to God.   I'm mention just one of them now.
            Matthew 10:30 tells us that "the very hairs of our head are numbered."  Wow.  God knows even those tiny details about us?  The creator of the universe takes that much notice of one small person?
            When my sons were born, I counted their tiny fingers and toes.  I knew that their pinky toes curled in, where their birthmarks were located, and what color their eyes were.  One son had a dimple on his chin, the other in his cheeks.  I memorized every detail, breathing in their scent, touching their smooth skin, drinking in as much as I could because I was in love.  They meant more to me than I could imagine.
            Any of you who has ever been in love, or had a child, knows what I mean.  You can't seem to get enough of that person.  You know their favorite song, if they like the rain, and which way they like to hold hands.
            We mean that much and more to God.  Each of us.  Individually.  He loves us as a father loves us, only so much more.
            I guess that does make me feel a little bit special.  How about you?

Monday, January 3, 2011

How it All Began...



            When the New Year rolls around, I like to come up with a theme.  Last year, it was the Year of Fun.
            The Year of Fun started off okay, with me purposefully throwing in fun activities that I wouldn't normally do.  In January I saw Avatar in 3D with full digital surround sound.  In February we had a wonderful indoor pool party for my son's birthday and I swam in my bathing suit in front of all the parents even though it was mid-winter and I was pasty white.  And sometime later in the summer, me - a self-proclaimed hater of shopping and especially clothes shopping - bought myself a shiny pair of purple shoes.
            But then it all sort of tapered off.  The summer was hard, family illnesses struck and I had to quit work - all sorts of unpleasant things happened.
            "Let's call this the year of "I don’t give a hoot" my husband said somewhere along the way.
            It started to remind me of the previous year, 2009.
            2009 was the Year of Good Enough.  I was in survival mode, and simply did what had to be done.  No extras.  Just getting my family and myself through each day were my main goals.
           This Year, while it's brand spanking new and I'm feeling so freshly confident, is gonna be different.  This year I'm calling The Princess Project.  Since it's a Year in Training, I figure it won't be a flop because I'm already a princess.
            (I can just hear the laughter from my readers…but hang with me for a minute.)
            The day I bought those purple shoes, I was feeling a bit blue.  I went into Kohl's to pick up some essentials for my kids and that's when I wandered by the Vera Wang "Simply Vera" collection.  There was a purple flowered "power" dress, paired up with the perfect jewelry and matching purse.
            I stopped.  I stared.  I am not a clothes person, and I hate shopping.  I hate it.  But that day I was dressed in my jeans and a baggy t-shirt, and was feeling very weary.  I wondered: what would I feel like if I wore that outfit?           
            I decided to find out.
            I got the outfit in my size.   I got the purse, then after seeing the price, found a purple knock-off of it much cheaper in a different part of the store.  Then….shoes!  I had to have shoes.
            I found the perfect pair.  Purple heels with metallic sparkly jewels on the toes.   Not my style at all, but this was just for fun and there was no way I could afford the outfit anyway.  So I grabbed the shoes.
            I went into the dressing room and tried the whole outfit on - even the jewelry.
            I looked in the mirror, and realized that I felt (and looked) like an entirely different person!  I felt alive. I felt good.  I felt….I felt like I could walk into a board meeting and take over a company in that outfit.
            So I bought it.
            "We are on a budget," my husband said when I walked in the door.
            "But honey, I feel like a different person when I wear this outfit," I countered.
            I tried on the outfit to make my point.  My husband (remember, his year was titled "I don't give a hoot") merely raised an eyebrow or two when he saw it, but my youngest son can always be counted on to give an opinion.
            "Mommy, you look like a princess," he said.
            It was then that I realized, I am a princess!
            I have been a child of God for nearly 30 years, and it has finally occurred to me that that means I am royalty!
            God is, after all, the King of Kings.  I am His daughter.  That makes me a princess!
            So I decided at that moment to start living like one.  Not in riches (I didn't go back to Kohl's and buy 10 more Vera Wang outfits).  Not in a higher-than thou attitude.   But grounded by the scriptures that I've known my entire life.
            "Now if we are children (of God), 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."  Romans 8:17
            I've spent the last year writing a book about being a child of God.  Each chapter details how we are able to rely on and trust God as our heavenly father.  So now, with scripture behind me to back me up, I'm taking it one step further and challenging myself - and you - to realize your worth as an heir of God.
            No more walking around with our heads down, feeling defeated.  No more wishing and wanting and hoping when we have a God who owns the cattle of a thousand hills and simply requires us to ask.  No more feeling scared when we have the power within ourselves to defeat the enemy.
            So this year is the Year of the Princess Project.  I have started a blog to answer questions as I search for what it truly means to be an Heir of the Most High King.
What are the privileges  - and responsibilities - that come with this position?
            - What is grace and why is God eager to give us some?
            - How much Power do we really have and what does that mean?
            - In what way does God consider us beautiful?
            - What's the castle look like and when can I move in?
            - Is there an "arranged marriage" in all of this?  Where is our prince?
            - What if we are afraid of the King?  He is, after all, the King.
While my family doesn't necessarily treat me according to my royal status, my God does.  You, me - anybody who is a child of God - we are heirs of royalty.  Come with me as I explore what that means this year.  I would love to see your comments.  Please post!