Have you ever seen “The Princess Diaries”? We saw the original movie last year, and then the sequel to it not too long ago. The story line is a geeky, nobody, high school girl one day finds out that she is really a princess of and heir to the throne of a country called Genovia. What a story it is- a rags to riches, nobody to somebody, unknown to popular… you get the picture, kind of story. It is the story we all dream of when we are young-- becoming something or somebody.

One of my sons said to me afterward, “Wouldn’t that be cool, mom, to find out one day that you are a princess (or prince)?” What a teachable moment! Yes, that would be cool… actually it IS cool, because that is exactly what reality is! We are all princesses and princes. It is just a question of realizing and accepting it. Mia, the character in the movie, has to believe and accept who she is, she has to acknowledge who she is and accept her newly revealed status.

That is exactly what you and I are (or were) faced with. You see, God, the King and Creator of the universe wants to adopt all of mankind back into His family. As a matter of fact, He did adopt us into his family. That is what Jesus’ death on the cross and subsequent resurrection did for us. It erased the guilt and power of sin and signed and sealed our adoption papers. (Romans 8:15)  We are children of the King. But, until the Holy Spirit convicts us of that, of our sin and need for a redeemer, and until we accept that redemption and those adoption papers, we are just like Mia, running around in our own geeky, nobody world with no purpose, and unaware of who we really are. Once we find out what the King has left us in our inheritance, it is up to us (like it was up to Mia) to acknowledge and accept our heritage and position as children of the King and live in that.

In the movie, Mia has much to learn about living like a princess, and that is the appeal of the movie. Like her, we as Christians have much to learn about living like the children of God that we are. Mia submits to her grandmother’s ( the queen) instructions and grooming. She gradually accepts and flourishes in her true identity, to the delight of her grandmother. That is what our Heavenly King Father delights to see in us, too. He delights to see us accept the reality of our adoption papers and accept and flourish in our true identity- children of our great and mighty God.

We do have a choice, though, just as Mia had a choice. She could have decided that she just wanted to be plain old Mia and continue in her life, rejecting her royal family and true identity. We have a choice, too, to decide if we want to be self-sufficient do it ourselves, rejecting our Heavenly Father and true identity as his children.

So, what will you do with the information of your identity as a princess (or prince) in the Kingdom of God? (Joshua 24:15)