A terrorist threat at Heathrow Airport cancelled our flight home, and we found ourselves in a holding pattern in London. The summer conference was over, and the privileges of the empty nest prevailed. After all, who needed us back at home in Budapest?
Energized by our awareness of freedom, Larry and I emphatically hit the pause button on life, donned our walking shoes, and set out like two newlyweds. An exhibition at Buckingham Palace caught our attention.
In honor of Queen Elizabeth II’s eightieth birthday, the Palace offered a rare public viewing of eighty of Her Majesty’s royal gowns with accompanying accessories of her dazzling personal jewelry. Together my husband and I toured the spectacular exhibit, and then he departed for his favorite art museum. I remained behind to study the gorgeous dresses.
Listening yet again to the audio headset, I gazed at the glitter and glamor, and I reread every description of the elaborate dresses which had been worn for state dinners, for visits with foreign dignitaries, and on official tours to other nations. As the hour for closing approached, and other tourists slowly exited, I enjoyed the hall all to myself. Only the security guards remained. Alone and surrounded by exquisite splendor on display, I yearned to absorb every detail to recall and savor for a lifetime.
Suddenly, in this setting of grandeur and without warning, God intervened with a strong sense of His presence. Amid the soft lights, quiet music, and superb representation of royalty, I heard the strains of Edward Mote’s aged hymn play out in my head: “Clothed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before His throne.”
It was as if God had a customized message for me: “Debby, your beauty in Christ supersedes all the beauty displayed before you. Nothing compares to the magnificence of your righteousness in Christ. Nothing. Your true identity as My child is royalty, and you are adorned in My garments of salvation, and you are arrayed in holy attire.”
I stopped, overwhelmed with wonder, and marveled at such a breathtaking encounter. I stood fixed in place and absorbed this amazing moment with my heavenly Father.
In hushed reverence, my very soul responded with, “Oh God, thank You. Thank You! You have gently pulled back the curtain for me to see, as never before, the majesty and privilege of being a child of the King. Indeed, no other identity compares. I commit myself to growing and living in the fullness of this reality.”
My epiphany in Buckingham Palace solidified a conviction: Identity in Christ holds the foundation and the cornerstone for our lives. Everything spiritually, emotionally, experientially, and relationally builds upon it.
Neil Anderson says, “Understanding your identity in Christ is essential to your success at living the Christian life. . . . Next to a knowledge of God, a knowledge of who you are is by far the most important truth you can possess.” Yet, a disconnect often exists between what we know to be true and what we experience in life. We long to be everything God created us to be, but our experience and our desire do not match.
But wonderful news awaits us. Royal identity and royal garments are our inheritance in the Beloved. A strong royal identity in Christ can be realized with three life-changing principles: Believe what is true, reject what is false, choose what will last. Isaiah 61:10 says, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”
Living With Eternal Intentionality®
“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)
How do you relate to the idea of being royalty?
When you read the parable of Jesus in Matthew 22:1-14, what thoughts do you have regarding the wedding feast in His coming Kingdom?
