Princess in Training

"To marry a prince, you must first become a princess. To marry into royalty, you must be appropriately prepared ... Is it any wonder that a heavenly princess must prepare inwardly for the calling to which she will give her life? As you set your attention on developing godly character, Christ will change you into the beautiful princess He created you to be."

I know what some of you are thinking ... the whole princess concept is quite dated, somewhat childish, and overly dramatic, but hear me out. I'm not talking about some Disney princess who is stupid enough to bite into an apple from a complete stranger (I mean, come on, didn't anyone ever tell her not to accept candy from strangers?) or some snobby, rich girl who gets everything she could ever want plus more. NO, I am talking about the daughters of the KING OF KINGS. When we are born into the kingdom, we become co-heirs with Christ, we are the sons and daughters of the KING. Did you hear that clearly? We are princes and princesses of our Heavenly Father who sits on the throne of grace. Don't you see ... no matter how cliche this all sounds, it brings me great joy and hope. As a princess of the King of Kings, I want to make Him proud and have him look at me one day and say, "well done, my princess."

The other day I was eating lunch with a dear friend who has always inspired me to follow harder after Christ. She always has this Godly wisdom to share, and God always uses her to clarify things in my walk with Him. As we shared about our respective summer trips and our freakishly similar struggles, she told me how God is working in her life and ways she is growing closer to Him. She told me she is taking each aspect of the definition of love one month at a time. For example, she is working on patience this month (God bless her for that one! haha!), and next month she will focus on kindness. I know God has put her friendship in my life for a reason, and I deeply respect and admire her for her passion for Christ. When she was telling me about this plan, it made me think about this fourth chapter of Lady in Waiting. She is truly a "Lady of Virtue."

"Are you becoming a virtuous woman that a man may need as a helpmate? Are you using these days to develop godliness in order that, if asked, you will be ready? Whether you marry or not, every woman should seek the virtues of Christlikeness."

Like a true friend, she has inspired me to start a quest of my own. I'm going to take the fruits of the spirit and divide them up over this school year (starting in September) to seek the virtues of Christlikeness.

"It is the Holy Spirit, not [me], who produces the godly character [I] seek. These pearls of character are listed in Galations 5:22-23 as '... love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control...' As these qualities develop, [my] life will become more like a beautiful necklace strung with pearls of godly character."

I want my life to more closely reflect the image of Christ, and I know there is no better way than to start on this journey of becoming the princess of God. My prayer is that God uses this for His glory and His glory alone.

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Proverbs 31:30

Learning to Love,
Jenna