Today the world put on a mask.  For some reason, pretending to be someone you’re not holds much intrigue for all ages.  I’m nineteen and I still haven’t grown out of dress up.  When I was younger I always wanted to be a princess.  Every little girl wants an excuse to be a beautiful daughter of the King.  For that reason, every October 31st, midget royalties are running around with wands.  Some have crowns and some boast glorious fake diamonds and rubies, but all wear a smile!  If for only one day, they are free to bask in their heart’s desire.  Deep down, they know that they were created special, beautiful, and to be cherished for that beauty.  In the same way boys take the extreme opposite.  They choose swords and shields, camouflage and plastic guns, anything powerful or dangerous to dress themselves.  They want to be strong, exciting and ready for adventure! Boys know that they were made to protect, serve, and honor others.  What a beautiful contrast God created!  Each wonderfully complements the other.  Without the damsel in distress, what would the knight fight for?  If not for the knight, why would a princess want to be beautiful?  But why do we feel that such a role can only be played while in costume?  It is a lie that the world has thrust upon us.  Women cannot simply be needed for their beauty, love and tenderness.  They have to be more, they have to make it on their own and not depend on any man, for that shows weakness.  In the same way, men do not meet the standard.  They cannot provide sufficiently, they aren’t able to protect or simply aren’t strong enough for the job.  As soon as we start picking up on either one of these lies, life stops functioning properly.  Women find too soon that they were not created to do a man’s work.  A man will never be satisfied letting a female fill his boots.  The soul of every human cries out for an excuse to fulfill its purpose as God intended it.  It’s time for the men to take back their swords and the women their wands.  Life does not have to be a masquerade.  At the end of the day, when the princess costume is thrown into a box for next year’s party, every woman is eternally crowned by God’s calling on her life.  Every man is challenged to protect the innocent and fight for truth in Christ’s army.  No matter what the world says, when the props come off, in Christ you are forever royalty! 

 

1 Peter 2:9
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light;

A first blog, how intimidating!  Like the first note of a song and you wonder… Will people like my voice?  Am I on key?  Will I remember the words?  But one note follows another and before long you take a bow.  There are so many firsts in life.  Each one is as hard as the others for it embraces something new and different.  But for every first, one’s life is added a color, whether in relationships that last forever, or lessons which add to your person, or a vote cast which changes the tide.  Firsts are always frightening, but without them life drags on, each moment being like the next, a canvas of one color, depth and message.

And so I begin another first.  And I hope that it can grow into something inspiring, helpful, or simply entertaining as I share my life with you.  My challenge is that today you would take a first step!  Say hello to a consistent stranger in your life!  Find a recipe that is different and go for it!  Start a legacy in your family!  Why not?  Everything good has a beginning 🙂

Colossians 3:23
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,”