Every little girl dreams of becoming a princess and living in a castle...at least I did! I dressed up in the robe and tiara as I waved my wand and commanded the attention of those around. I grew up watching all of the princess movies...to be honest, I still do! They all end in a fairytale...or I guess, maybe they are the fairytale. One of my favorite stories in the Bible is of a girl named Esther, who becomes not only a princess...but a queen and ends up living in the castle. She probably grew up in a small home not far from the palace. I am sure she would look at the palace and dream of what it would be like to be royal - a dream she knew would never come true.
Her story was not quite a fairytale or a dream. It was more of a nightmare, if you read the story...she was stolen from her home by soldiers who were searching for beautiful young women to "interview" with the king for the position of his queen. Esther joined hundreds of other girls who were "chosen" to be taken to the king's palace. They had one year of beauty treatments before they were even allowed their one chance to be "interviewed". If the girl was pleasing to the king, she would be chosen as his queen. It seems that Esther wanted to please the king and she showed this by asking her supervisor what she should wear when she went for her "interview".
It amazes me that someone who was stolen from home and kept in a palace for one year still wanted to do the right thing. She wanted to be chosen as queen. She saw that although her life had not turned out as she planned, that God must still be in control. Esther knew that God was her ultimate King. I believe she wanted to please the king because she knew that God had a plan. God must know what He was doing by allowing her life to turn out this way...stuck in a palace to compete in an ultimate beauty pageant.
One of my favorite parts of the story is when it says that Esther "found favor with the King"...that is what we all ultimately want, isn't it? To find favor with the King? How do we begin to find favor with the King of Kings? I think it all begins as we learn to trust. Sometimes, we think the plans we create are better than what God can design for us. When we put our trust in the King, we are turning over our own plans in exchange for His plan and purpose for our lives.
I thought I had my life all planned out. I was working at a school, the wife of a pastor, mother of two girls. What more could God do with me? He seemed to be using my life for good. I tried my best to show God's love to those around me, but I still felt like something was missing. Then, I asked God, "what is my part? what is my purpose?". I wanted to see His favor. I wanted to see what more He could do with my life. Then, my life changed. I learned about girls like Esther, who were stolen from their homes but they did not have a fairytale ending. They were trafficked and used by others who didn't see them as God did. It broke my heart and caused me to want to do something more. I began to speak, travel and write. I began to see that God has a bigger plan than my own. I feel humbled that God would use me to reach out across the world to help others. Sometimes, I feel as if I have found the "favor of the King". He has chosen to use me even though I am just an ordinary girl.
At times, it is difficult for us to look at our circumstances and trust that God has a plan and purpose for our lives, but that is exactly what God is waiting for. He is waiting for us to trust Him with our lives...to trust Him as our King. When we finally let go of our plans and seek out the future the King has designed for us, that is when He shows us what we are really created for...to be royalty. When we seek out the true heart of God, that is when our identity becomes a part of His identity. Do you know what your identity really is when you put your trust in God? You are the daughter of a King...the King of Kings. You are a Princess and that's no fairytale!
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