Thursday, December 11, 2008

A Skeptical Princess


What do you think when you hear the term "God's Princess?" If you're like me, when someone reminds you that you're God's little princess, you secretly want to roll your eyes. The phrase has become so cliche and overused--an excuse to let girls believe they are something along the lines of Disney's Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, Jasmine, etc.

Why do the princessy lines bother me? I guess it's the glitz and schmaltz--the pink hoodies with the word "Princess" etched in rhinestones. Part of my prejudice stems from the marketing, I think.

Then there's the delusion that God's princesses are promised everything they want and somehow deserve fairytale lives. To believe that is to believe something theologically erroneous. The Bible doesn't promise us earthly treasure or earthly happy endings. (Just consider how most heroes of the faith have met their deaths.)

But my own prejudice aside, "God's princess" is an accurate term. We are daughters of the King of Kings, and that is an amazing thing. Even the apostle John thought so, because he marveled: "See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are." (1 John 3:1)

Saved by the blood of Christ, we are God's children. God will place a crown on our head. He will give us robes of white linen. Yet the amazing part of that truth is also the most unmentioned. The great thing about princesshood is not that we get to wear pretty things---but that He is the One giving them to us. We are not deserving of these gifts.

Contrary to what we'd like to imagine, we have never been Cinderella's with hearts of gold who naturally deserve notoriety. No one is truly like that. Our (pardon me) "fairytale" began when God picked us off the street. We're dirty and homeless. The Bible even says we're harlots.

Just the same, God chose us. He cleanses us; calls us His own. He writes our names on His hands. He promises never to forget or leave us. He sings over us. He has invented a special name for each of His people--a name He will unveil in Heaven. He adopts us. He tells us to think of His Son as our Husband.

This isn't marketing. I'm not selling you a rhinestone hoodie or tiara or bumper sticker. This is the gospel truth; and it's not special so much because you're a princess, but simply because you're His.


What do you think? Do you think the "princess" label is accurate?