Two years old and full of spunk – she is the 26 lb version of her momma. She loves her Disney princesses and playing dress up. When she hears music, she flies to her room, digs through her dress-up basket, and comes running with her gown of choice. It is usually the pink one with the fluffy skirt.
Adorned with her finest dress, she twirls to her heart’s content – instantly transformed into the subject of fairytales.
My sweet baby has already learned from books and movies that you can identify a princess by what she is wearing. She has already been sold the lie.
Proof of this came a few nights ago just before bed. My kids were playing quietly on the living room floor, and my husband leaned over and whispered to my daughter, “I love you, princess.”
She looked down at her play clothes and back up at her daddy.
“I not a princess. I not wearing a dress!” She beamed up at him.
“But you are MY princess! You are always Daddy’s princess!”
My husband and I knew that it had begun – our assignment to rebrand royalty.
In a world where princesses wear dresses…
You know, I bet Eve did this too. I bet Eve and her Daddy had this same conversation once.
Eve, who was created to love God, whose heart was designed to trust, found herself the victim of a lie. She trusted the voice of someone other than her Father, and in one act of disobedience, traded in the assurance of God’s love for the nasty garments of shame and regret.
Eve’s new clothes were heavy, ugly, and designed by her enemy to hide the truth of who she really was.
Worst of all, Eve’s new clothes came with a voice. “Just look at you,” Shame sneered. “You aren’t who you used to be. You can try all you want, but you will never be good enough. You will never be worthy enough. God couldn’t possibly love you anymore. You aren’t worthy of His love.”
But God continued to whisper, “I love you, Princess… and I’m sending my Son to prove it.”
That is exactly what He did. He sent His Son, to redeem His daughters back into right relationship with Him. His Son, who took our shame and offered forgiveness. Who took our pain and offered peace. Who said, “You are the daughter of the Most-High God and nothing you will ever put on will change your identity in Me.”
And in a world where princesses wear gowns, Eve has given us an ugly set of hand-me-downs. Eve’s lies have become our own. We wear burdens that have hidden our identity in Christ.
We look down at ourselves as our Heavenly Father whispers, “I love you, princess.” And all we see are Disgrace. Regret. Defeat.
“But I sure don’t look like a princess…”
And we forget. We forget that princesses are not made by gowns and crowns…
We forget that the only thing that makes a girl a princess is who she calls “Daddy.”
And the Most-High God says to us, “You are my daughter. You are a child of the King of Kings. I love you. I know you like no one else. In me, you will find your worth. You are forgiven. You are redeemed. You are more than enough. You are mine.”
And He takes away the heavy, ugly, nasty stuff… and reminds us of who we really are. His!
We have to learn to look and realize that what we see isn’t what God sees.
Because just like my daughter and her daddy… God says to us, “I will love you no matter what you look like. No matter how much you protest you cannot change my love or make me see you as anything else.”
Perhaps today, we will hear His words… and believe Him.
