God's Princess

     Every year, our percussion section for band has a Secret Santa gift exchange. This year, my Secret Santa got me two Disney dress-up, Polly Pocket sized dolls; one Cinderella and one Ariel. She also got me a pink visor that's a sparkly tiara. Disney, pink, and sparkles. What more could a girl want?

     I've been joking ever since about being the official princess of our percussion section. Why? Because all my gifts fit the picture society paints of a princess. Society tells us that princesses love pink, sparkles, and everything that shines. Princess movies and television shows tell us that we have to have this high, light, beautiful voice when we sing, wear a size 0 ball gown, find our true love on some unrealistic adventure, and fall in love with him practically overnight. Oh, and you have to be born of royal blood or marry into the royal family. Which, none of us can control.

     Here's what finally hit me in the midst of all my joking and pretending to be a princess: I am a princess. I am a princess because I am a daughter of a King. I am a princess because my Father is the King of the universe.

     God doesn't care what size ball gown I wear, how much money my family has, how high of a note I can hit when I sing, or if I'm born into a royal family or not. He put me where I am for a reason. I'm not an earthly princess because He didn't want me there. God cares about the condition of my heart. He cares that I try my best to follow Him and see myself the way He sees me.

     That's the hardest part right there: seeing myself the way God sees me. God sees me as His beautiful daughter, His princess. I don't see myself that way. I can honestly say that I don't see a princess when I look in the mirror. But God sees a princess any time He looks at me. He's sees my beauty that is deeper than the surface and deeper than a mirror could ever tell me. He sees the things that are deeper than I may ever be able to see. He sees me as beautiful.

     I have to say, I love pink and sparkles, and Disney movies are my favorites, but that doesn't make me an earthly princess. But none of that matters, because I'm a heavenly princess. My Father in heaven looks down on me and calls me his daughter. His princess. And he does the same for you. We are all princes and princesses in the eyes of God. I have to remind myself daily that I'm a princess of God.