I glanced down at my hands and saw that they were covered in dirt. I laughed at myself. Was I actually weeding? No way! Wasn't it I who had declared that I would never weed again? Wasn't it I who assured everyone that I would rather stay in the house all day and do chores than weed for one hour and have free time the rest of the day? Yep! That was me, and it was also I who was weeding. My views had gradually changed since the time when I was a stubborn 8 year old who hated weeding. Mama needed help in the garden, so I felt it my duty to weed. I tried to think of the story of Cinderella. Is she the girl that was abused by her family but had a magical goat that would give her food so she would stay healthy? Or was that some other story? I couldn't remember. But I did remember that most fairy tale princesses live in a castle, have drop-dead-gorgeous dresses stuffed in their wardrobe, eat delicacies, spend their free time embroidering pillows and walking in their rose gardens at sunset, and occasionally visit poor people and give them things because it's their duty. And most of them would never touch a weed to pull it out of the ground.
Friends, I would often love to imagine that I am God's princess. Even though this is true since He is the King and we are His adopted daughters, we are not His princesses meaning that we are the spoiled girls that don't need to do any work, that just sit in the palace all day embroidering and drinking tea. (LOL!) Another way to say it, is that God doesn't expect us to be fairy tale princesses. In Matthew 20:28 and Mark 10:45, we see that the Prince of Peace came to the earth not to BE served, but TO serve. And if we are the King's daughters, we ought to serve as well.
John 13:14-15:
If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.
In fact, we are more like slaves! And that's a wonderful thing! Why? Because we are not bound with physical chains, but we are bound to Christ with His love. Because serving Him brings true freedom - not to do what we want, which can never turn out right anyway, but to do what He wills, which turns out perfectly every time! Because when Christ is the master, we have perfect peace because we know God is absolutely capable to be in control. We have patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness because He models it first for us. We have self-control because He provides rewards for us which are exceeding abundantly beyond what we could ever even think to ask for. And we have joy because He has saved us from our sin!
Aren't you glad we aren't fairy-tale princesses?
Love,
Kina