You Were Born to Be a Princess

I love fantasy stories. Tell me about knights on horseback combating ancient evil or the adventures of a rag-tag band of misfits with a destiny and I’m hooked. It doesn’t get much better than that, unless you throw in a princess. Stories are usually better with princesses, especially if it’s an average, everyday girl who is transformed into a princess.

When I was little, my mom would cut my hair into the classic “bowl” cut that was usually reserved for boys. Okay, so it was a little longer than a boy’s hair, but it was short. And back in those days, princesses did not have short hair. They had long, flowing tresses. So what was a short-haired girl to do? Naturally, I draped a nightgown over my head and pretended it was my (white and pink flower patterned) hair. I wanted so much to be a princess like in the fairy tales, (or, honestly, like Princess Allura in Voltron who got to wear pink and pilot the blue lion on a bunch of different adventures) that I dressed and acted like I thought a princess should.

As we grow older, we pretend that we no longer want to be princesses. We let “reality” take over and accept (if not entirely embrace) the fact that the fairy tale is not, and never will be, ours. There’s no Prince Charming on his white horse, no birds to do our laundry and no grand balls to attend. We give up the fantasy and settle for the hum-drum of every day. As one movie so perfectly puts it, we resign ourselves to being the best friend in our own lives instead of the leading lady. That’s certainly true of my own life.

But I want to let you in on a little secret.

You were born to be a princess.

Flowing hair or bowl cut, a ball gown or a ratty pair of sweats, fresh faced or wrinkled and grey, you, my dear, are a princess. Or, you were made to be, at least.

I can probably guess what you’re thinking, and, in some ways, you’d be right. I’m not telling you that you have a palace here on earth, just waiting for you to move in. And, chances are, you’ll have to do that pile of laundry tomorrow, just like you planned yesterday (and maybe the day before that if you’re anything like me), because no one is going to show up at your door and offer to do all your chores. There’s no carriage, no singing mice, no glass slippers. Then again, who really wants to wear slippers made of glass?

What I am telling you is that the Bible tells us when we accept Jesus into our lives we become co-heirs with Christ. (Romans 8:17) We become co-heirs to the Kingdom of God (Galatians 4:7). And what is an heir to a kingdom if not a princess? It may not appear so here on earth, but we are granted authority in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 1:19-21), we’re given access to the vast riches of heaven (Ephesians 1:18), and we have the promise of a glorious future.

How many princesses do you know who allow those beneath their status to direct their decisions and determine their worth? How many believe they have no value because someone else says so despite seeing the riches of their kingdom at their disposal? How many princesses willingly surrender their authority to every usurper who comes along?

If we are princesses and heirs to the kingdom why do so many of us live as paupers? Why do we walk around in the rags of self-hatred, discouragement, jealousy, fear, anger and greed when we were clothed in beauty? Why do we let our enemy tell us how worthless, unloveable and unworthy we are when our position reminds us that we were made to wear a crown?

I’ve been learning so much lately about what it truly means to be in Christ and to have the freedom and authority of a child of God, and I will be exploring that further in the days and weeks ahead. But in anticipation of that, I challenge you to think of your position as a princess. Have you claimed it? Have you considered what it truly means? Or are you still living as a pauper in your Father’s kingdom?

As you’re considering, keep this in mind as well: A real princess does not abuse her position. Instead, she recognizes that wearing the crown means she bears responsibility for others in her kingdom, regardless of their status. A princess is first, and foremost, a servant, putting the needs of her people ahead of her own.

What does it mean to you to be a princess? Is it a position you recognize and embrace, or is something holding you back from claiming your crown?