Princess in Waiting

Princess: (noun) the daughter or granddaughter of a king or queen; the consort of a prince; a non-reigning female member of a royal family.

Waiting: (noun) a period of waiting - a pause or interval or delay; (adjective) serving or being in attendance.

For single young ladies, I believe that the description 'princess in waiting' is apt. The Bible tells us that those who believe in Messiah are God's children. The name for a female child is a daughter and the name for the daughter of a king is a princess - thus, as children of The King of Kings, girls who believe in Messiah are princesses. (Princesses in disguise, as one of my friends once said; I love the idea of being a princess in disguise!) And waiting ... we single young ladies know the meaning of waiting! If we are unmarried, but hoping to be called to marriage 'someday', we are in "a period of waiting". And as children of God, we serve Him ...

Consider a princess ... born to a king and queen, she is raised by them to represent the royal family. A princess is, in many ways, not her own. She 'belongs' to the royal family and to the country. She lives as an ambassador for the former and she serves the latter. There are so many parallels between a 'real' princess and a daughter of God! Doesn't God raise us up to represent Him? Are not we not our own? And are we to live as ambassadors for God in the world and are we not to serve (following the example of Messiah - who was 'The Servant of All') others - in the church and in the world?

We have such an awesome responsibility!

And while we are waiting ... ! Although I hope each and every one of us is not 'just' waiting, whether we work or study or serve our families we are still ... waiting. We're experiencing "a pause or interval or delay". We should use this wait for good - as a princess, we have so many responsibilities and opportunities to do good and serve others. Let's not waste any of them - not only do we represent The King and have a desire and a responsibility to reflect glory and honor onto Him, but we have responsibility to use our time wisely - to not 'just' wait, but to wait for the glory and honor of our Heavenly Father and King!

However, although there are responsibilities to being a princess, there are privileges too!

Of course, most princesses spend some time with their elbows on their windowsills and their chin in their hands, gazing at the stars and thinking about a prince - who will ride up to the castle and whisk them away to the happily ever after. But what if a prince doesn't comes ... what if other princesses are inundated with suiters and princes and you are ... not? It's difficult and painful. I know ... I am not one of the 'other princesses' and I have never been inundated with suitors and princes. It's so tempting to be overcome with feelings of inferiority - after all, why do the 'other princess' get inundated with suiters and princes while we ... wait?

The wonderful and reassuring thing about being a princess is that ... you are a princess. It's who you are ... and nothing is going to stop you being a princess. A princess is a princess, regardless of whether or not she is inundated with suiters and princes. Don't be overcome by feelings of inferiority (says I ... this is a lesson I'm am still trying to learn, after five years). Your identity and worth rest in your Heavenly Father and King - not in your suiters (or lack of suiters). And it is God who has called you to wait - not because you are inferior to the 'other princesses', but because He has a unique and wonderful plan for your life - and for some reason best known to Himself (and you maybe never know what it is), His plan for your life includes some time as a princess in waiting.

Fellow Princesses in Waiting ... let's each and every one of us strive to be the best princesses we can be and to wait in the best way we can!