Daughters of Royalty

Learning to surrender has been a process. Scripture encourages us to surrender and give our will to God. Oftentimes, this feels like giving up and losing hope. Surrender feels like a word that condones failure; it can feel like the fight has been lost and gone towards a hopeless cause.
However, in the Christ-centered perspective, surrender is to let go of one’s own control and give into God’s will and control. It is a different kind of surrender.

“The church wants you to be holy but not happy. The world wants you to be happy but not holy. Christ wants you to be both happy and holy.” I spent a summer in Mozambique and this is something someone said that has been forever engraved in my brain. Sounded like something unattainable to me. Human ain’t holy. At least, we would never equate humanness with holiness. In my early years of being a Christian, I always wondered how I could ever live up to the standards depicted in the Bible. I mean, Jesus was Jesus. He was God! How could He possibly expect the same (or even greater things) from me? I’m just me. What does He expect from us when we are only human.

One of my favorite quotes is as follows: “God had a purpose for you before anyone had an opinion about you.” We grow into our purpose over the course of seeking after the heart of God and His plans for us. We then dream big dreams and follow through, facing the struggles that come alongside the pursuit. Other times, we get distracted on the way or forget our calling, or even allow fear to take over our vision. I am here to remind you today that the season of revival is here.

To be blessed is interpreted in a variety of ways. The definition that we often relate this word with is the concept of fortunate. When an individual is divinely or supremely favored, we refer to them as blessed and consider them to be fortunate. However, it also refers to a thankful heart or even a happy individual. Some synonyms for those whose who we consider to be blessed are consecrated, sacred, holy, and sanctified. In addition, those who we find worthy of adoration, reverence and worship are also called, “blessed”. Therefore, it seems like such a contradiction when Jesus teaches in Matthew about the beatitudes.

As I write the last blog of 2020, I am forced to look back upon the year with a sigh of relief. We can all agree that we went into 2020 with great ...

The holidays are an especially difficult time for those who are grieving their loved ones. While it is a season to enjoy time with family and friends, let us also share this joy with those who are struggling. They may have had a lonely year, a rough time with their work situation, recovering from Covid-19, grieving their beloved, or just on a struggle-bus of some sort. Without sounding too cliché, let me conclude by reminded us of the reason for the season – Jesus.

Trials are inevitable. When going through a difficult season, sometimes we feel overwhelmed. The light at the end of the tunnel seems like it is too far away or as if it is nonexistent! People’s words offered to console you may be ineffective or even hurtful. At the end of the day, the reality is that it is all going to work out in the end. This is where our faith kicks in. Our trust in God is not our backup plan but must be our strategy all along.

Our situation was not like everyone else’s. Every time I look back now, I am super grateful for that piece of advice. I have now been married for a year and a half and I am so glad I did not go down the comparison trap. This is a dangerous one! Our marriage has not been like the others. My health issues have been ongoing, and nothing that premarital counseling could have taught us would have prepared us for what we have had to endure.

We need each other. We need community. We need the people around us to be there for our sake and we need to be there for their sakes, as well. This means we are to be Christlike in all our relationships. The perfect example is how God shows us through Scripture about how to be when invited to a vegetarian’s house. He emphasized how eating meat (though it is not a sin) can be portrayed as offensive when eating with a vegetarian. This is because the vegetarian friend truly believes that eating animals is wrong or that it is unnecessary. Therefore, when we are in their presence, despite our belief systems about meat-eating, we are to eat as they do, so that we may not offend them.

They say that one of the biggest ways to eliminate depression is by having a grateful heart. By recognizing the things in our world that we are thankful for as opposed to lacking, we are shifting the focus of our minds. In doing so, negative thoughts are minimized or eliminated and positive thinking is introduced, providing a sense of calmness and peace. This way of thinking effectively enforces our thankfulness and the more we practice this, the more peace we experience.

Mama Heidi would say, “If you do not give up, you win.” She would emphasize the power of tenacity and the weight of gentle patience in the midst of tremendous refute. Our fights do not always look like an actual David and Goliath situation but it sure does feel that way sometimes. David did not get overwhelmed by his competition. Instead, refusing the fancy armor, latest war equipment and gear, he stuck to what he was familiar with: his trusty slingshot and faithful God who has come through for him every time in the field while shepherding. He knew this battle, though it looked different, required more faith than fight.

What is the point of salt? If it is just about taste, there is not much to the concept and analogy. However, it was not until recently that I realized that in the early days (before refrigerators were a thing) that salt was used as a preservation tool. Meats were stored in salt to keep it last longer and make it more flavorful. Then it hit me, salt is used for preservation! We are the salt of the earth. So in order to be the salt, we need to be preservators of this world.