5 Things Soldier-Princesses Forget

Moving into action moves us into change. Rouse, then, Soldier-Princess. Remember who called you into battle.

Soldier Up.  We are ready to get up in the mornings if we have enough rest. Preparation for a new day begins the night before. Good decisions come from good rest. A soldier who has dressed for work and fueled her body for strength moves into action efficiently and quickly. She has a clear mind that will take every thought captive and make godly decisions. 

Power Up.  Meetings for the colonial Minutemen with their commanders was imperative.  So is our meeting with God.  Schedule time with Him as if your life depends on it.  It does. Choosing to neglect time with Him will deprive you of knowing changes in your marching orders. Strategy planning prepares you for unexpected battles in your day. Be tuned into His will so you are ready to act with a "minutes notice."

Regroup. The Minutemen knew their lives and honor depended on their comrades as well as themselves. The soldier-princesses who encourage you, mentor you and pray for you are your first line of defense. You must be transparent and honest with them about your struggles, failures and concerns. When you battle and when you train in the trenches, your life and honor depend on the soldier-princesses who know you intimately and stand the gap with you.

Reload.  Frequently through your day step back from earthly things to reset your focus on things above. Remind yourself of that Bible verse you're memorizing, say a prayer to reconnect with God, welcome an interruption to love someone.  Exchange a quick email or text with a comrade to encourage one another. Recharge your energy. Refocus your mind and heart so that you keep in step with the Spirit rather than running ahead of Him.

Refresh.  Life is hard. It's full of battles with people, circumstances, negativity and temptations. A soldier-princess knows her marching orders include time for the rest of God. Schedule time to relax, not to vacate your life, but to enjoy it and rest in green pastures by still waters. Joy comes when we take the time to seek peace so it can rule our hearts. God invites you to Sabbath rest, not because your work is done, but because His work is done.

You may also want to read:  The King Who Never Quits

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Child Adopted!

Our son sat wide-eyed, mesmerized by the mysterious legal proceedings. He was all of 6 years old, dressed in his first suit and tie, a toy soldier in one pocket and a Hot Wheels car in the other. Adoption Day.

"Hear ye! Hear Ye! All rise! This court is now in session. The honorable judge presiding."

Long before the earth's foundation was created, before the first day, the earth was formless and void. Darkness was over the deep and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

Even then, God had His people in mind.  He had settled on people as the focus of His love.  He would create them to be whole, blameless and holy before Him, a people of His own possession.

When people chose lives of sin rather than relationship with God, He decided to adopt us into His family through Jesus. It is an open invitation to sinners, to everyone,. When we were still sinning, Jesus died for the ungodly.

A gavel sounded three times. The courtroom was silent. The judge smiled at my husband and me, then looked straight into the eyes of a child.

"You are now their child, their son, with all the rights and privileges thereof."

Hear ye! Hear ye! All rise."

Court was adjourned. It was finished.

According to the paperwork, a sealed legal document, the adoption was complete and final. His old life was over. His new life had begun. A new birth certificate was sealed and delivered as proof of identity. Hopes soared. And then there was rejoicing.

Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, He had His eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose He is working out in everything and everyone. (The Message, Ephesians 1:11, 12)

 What pleasure a person takes in preparing the way for adoption! What celebration and lavish gift giving!

Hear ye! Hear ye! All rise!

All heaven is silent.  The King is coming! Angels watch, mesmerized by this mysterious legally binding contract; this mystery, grace; they long to understand.

One soul is redeemed, bought back from sin, adopted into the family of God. 

Where once a person stood alone, rejected, destined for grief, now stands a person who is in the family of God, forgiven, accepted, destined for joy. The Holy Spirit, the Life breath of God, is sealed and delivered as proof of identity, 

Amazing grace! I once was lost, but now am found! Redeemed. Redeemed. His child, and forever, I am!

I am the adopted child of the King of Kings. I am His princess.

Cake With Frosting

Creamy, sweet batter dripped from the beaters as my mother turned off the mixer and pushed the button to release them. Laying them aside on the counter, she poured the rich batter into the baking pan, then returned the beaters to the empty bowl. 

"Can I lick the bowl?" I asked my mother as she slid the cake into the oven.

I doubt that in all my childhood there was ever a cake made when some child didn't lick the bowl. Swirling the last sweet bites onto a finger and sliding it across your tongue is a treasured childhood memory for many of us.

"Can I have the biggest piece?" is often the request when a child looks wide-eyed at the freshly frosted cake waiting to be served.

The mother of James and John requested of Jesus special preference to be given to her sons in Heaven. Can one son sit on Your right and one sit on Your left? The other disciples murmured, appalled at such boldness. We all want to be "the disciple whom Jesus loved."

Like that wonderful frosted cake, there's enough grace and love for everyone. God passes out grace upon grace, and there is enough for everyone to be completely satisfied. One person may get more grace and love because he deserves more or needs more, but we all are satisfied.

Enough joy. Enough love. Enough grace. Enough.

As Mary Poppins says, "Enough is as good as a feast."

Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. I am the  Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.
- Revelation 22:12-14

You may also want to read:  A Pie for Lynette, The Making of a Woman and The Happy Kitchen

Comfort Zone

The elderly man paused in the aisle of the market. Leaning on his cane, he spoke into his cell phone, English phrases, Chinese phrases. He was obviously weary and confused.

Our eyes met and we both left our comfort zones to smile. How hard it can be to cross barriers of gender, nationality, language and cultures. It's so much more natural to ignore a stranger than to risk embarrassment saying the wrong thing.

"Good morning," he said. "I have problem."

"I am a Christian," I said encouragingly. "I will help you. What is the problem?"

"Jesus-person? Yes?"

I smiled, relaxing, back in my comfort zone. "Yes. I am Jesus-person."

"Not Jesus-person," he replied. "Old person. Lost old person."

I helped him find his way to the front of the store where he could rest on a bench while he phoned his son for a ride home. He was back in his comfort zone, back in the familiar.

I shared a little bit about Jesus, but the barriers were too wide. There wasn't enough time, enough common language, enough opportunity to introduce him to Jesus.

While we were still lost, when we were "not Jesus-people", Jesus died for us. Now we are Jesus-people, and we find our comfort zone in His presence, singing and shouting our praises.

Shouldn't talking about Jesus with those who are still lost be our comfort zone?

Leaving this man in his lost state of "not a Jesus-person" was more uncomfortable than it ever could be to leave my comfort zone and say hello to a stranger.

Show Up

Whether it was a concert, a new restaurant or a trip to the hospital to visit the sick, my dad used to say it was always worth the trip. He knew people regret more the things they didn't do than the things they did do.

You may show up for an adventure and be disappointed, but something valuable can always be achieved. Sometimes we win by being delighted in our adventure.  Sometimes we win by learning a lesson. Either way, when we show up, we move forward in life.

A soldier-princess shows up every morning to take on whatever new adventure of mercy the King has promised for today. She shows up to represent Him along the way, to be His hands and feet, His voice and heart.

Show up every day to walk alongside Jesus in rhythms of grace. Watch Him to see what He does when He shows up to love the brokenhearted and weary. See a need, meet the need. The soldier-princess who refreshes others, will herself be refreshed.

"I have loved you with an everlasting love," the King says to the soldier-princess. "I satisfy the weary ones and refresh everyone who languishes."

We don't always want to satisfy the weary ones and refresh others. Quite often we would prefer to stay in our pajama pants and an old tee-shirt. We want extra coffee and more donuts. We want to let our work slide, doing just enough to get by. We prefer to languish. We prefer to not show up. 

Prepare your mind for battle and your heart for action, soldier-princess. It's always worth the trip.

What does showing up to love in your life look like?

The King Never Quits

"I feel like a train wreck," I told my friend Lynn. "I'm completely tired."

She smiled. She, also, is a soldier-princess and she has been walking alongside me for years. She encourages me as only a close friend can do. She sends meals and gives me flowers. She sends texts and prays diligently for me.

As she coached me through our Pilates workout, I gained the surge of energy that would carry me through the rest of my schedule. No soldier-princess would fail to fight for her comrade, and Lynn faithfully spurred me on so I could continue to show up for love and good works.

A soldier is trained to hear the voice of truth and to obey marching orders without questioning, without doubting what the King is able to do. She has her sword, the Word of God, at the ready, her shield of faith is lifted against enemy attack and she continues to do the next right thing over and over again. The mind of a soldier stays focused on God during battles and there is peace.

A soldier-princess never quits. She continues showing up to love alongside her King in enemy territory, in the trenches of the daily hard and in the unfamiliar dark wilderness where she feels afraid and inadequate. She keeps pouring herself out, laying her all on the altar of service to the King and she considers it an honor. A soldier-princess never quits.

When the energy gauge is on empty, when physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually she is poured out for the King, it is the King who recognizes the need for a soldier to rest.

When a soldier-princess "feels like a train wreck", defeated and exhausted, she learns to wait for the familiar voice of the King. She knows her King never quits. Though a soldier cannot always leave her battlefield, the King is able to lift her soul away for awhile. He carries His exhausted and broken princess in arms of love where only He can heal, sustain and pamper her.

After the whirlwind, a still, small Voice. "Come away to a quiet place."

Away from the noise and the fray, deep in the innermost being of the soldier-princess, pain and fatigue, brokenness and confusion, prisons and disappointments are left behind.

One fist lifted warns the enemy, "Back off. She's mine." One glance at the angel army and the battle is finished. One smoothing of His hand over her and the princess rests. He sings over her, a song no other will ever hear. He quiets her with His love, calls her by a special name only she will hear through all eternity.

"You look like you're running out of steam," a neighbor called as I was limping past her house. "Are you okay?" Most mornings I am happily jogging or running when she sees me. I call out and wave, but I am unwavering in my training and discipline. Today my heart and body were aching from the inside out so I stopped to visit a few minutes.

"You need to go to a movie or even take a vacation. Or do what I do. Shut the bathroom door and have a good wailing session. Then take a hot bath and read a good book. Sometimes we just have to crash."

She's not a soldier-princess and she wouldn't understand. I may feel like a train wreck, but I'm not. I am a child of the one true King and He would never let me crash. My name is engraved on the palm of His hand. I am the apple of His eye, His protected and treasured soldier-princess. I am my Beloved's and He is mine.

 A soldier-princess never quits, but neither does her King.

Sunlight on a Cloudy Day

As I was leaving the store one December, I paused to encourage an elderly gentleman who was ringing a bell for the Salvation Army donation bucket. >

A small boy dropped some pennies into the bucket, then handed me a paper snowflake he had made.

"Thank you so much," I told the boy. "What a kind thing you are doing to give both your money and a snowflake to help other children."

"My mom gave me the money, but I made the snowflake," he said softly. "Do you think some kid would like to have it?"

I smiled at his "widow's mite" and nodded. "Very much. Snowflakes make everything better, don't you think?"

He agreed and reached into his pocket. Sprinkles of glitter fluttered around us, a snow fall in a rainbow of colors as he pulled out a stack of paper snowflakes. "Would these help, too?"

I glanced up and noticed tears in the eyes of the old gentleman still faithfully ringing the bell. I looked back into the bright, hopeful eyes of the young boy. With my hands full of paper snowflakes I began to sing, "Away in a Manger."

The little boy grinned and began to sing along. The older gentleman joined in with a strong, cheerful bass voice. Then an elderly woman, waiting beside her cart for a ride, began to sing along. In moments, a crowd of strangers was smiling and singing Christmas carols one after another.

The Christmas season has been left behind.  February winds have blown in swirling, sparkling snow. Focus on giving has turned to complaints about the weather, a longing for spring as beautiful snow becomes dirty and tiresome.

Sabbath heart, a heart set on things above, not on earthly things, is a heart with steadfast peace.  Goodness and faithfulness are my focus. A Sabbath heart does not brood over circumstances, does not spread negativity. We are the sunlight on a gray, dreary day. We share the God-colors and God-light in a dark weary world.

Let your light shine in such a way that others will see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. 

One small boy believed a paper snowflake could change his world...and it did.