The Lost Princess
“Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies.” Psalms 103:4
If anyone would have asked me if the topic of being a princess was something I would ever write about, I assure you my answer would have been “no!” I have never been what most would consider the “princess” type. Although I was not a tomboy as a child, I was just as far from being the Cinderella of my family while growing up. I don’t ever recall playing princess, or even wanting to be one. The idea just seemed too far-fetched. I was not the beauty pageant type, as far as being into stylish clothing or makeup. If given a choice between getting dressed up and going to a party or reading a good book – I’d have chosen the book, hands down. I finished high school successfully, but relatively unnoticed by those around me. Even when I got married and tiaras were the fashionable thing to wear, I chose the old fashioned over the face veil.
But one day, while being a good sister and babysitting my 3 nieces, I received a startling revelation that has been changing my life ever since. The girls wanted to watch a movie and chose the animated film Anastasia. The story was based on the rumors of a princess who may have survived an attack on her family and was living somewhere in Russia as an everyday person.
In the movie, Anastasia has no memory of her past except for a song she sings that will later identify her to her grandmother. It is the perfect story for little girls who dream of being a princess. Once Anastasia’s grandmother realizes she truly is the princess, preparations begin for announcing her return and a royal “coming out” party. At one point earlier in the movie, there is a scene when Anastasia as a poor, young girl had looked into an old cracked mirror, and seemed very sad and unsure about the image she saw. After she is identified as a true princess, Anastasia is dressed as a princess should be and then crowned by her grandmother. She then turns to see herself in the mirror, and for the first time sees herself for who she truly is. Not a poor girl with no family, but a royal princess worthy of a crown!
At the moment I saw that clip, I was not doing anything profound. (I think I might have been making macaroni and cheese.) But when I saw the clip of that young girl looking into the mirror and seeing her true self for the first time, I distinctly heard the voice of the Holy Spirit say to me, “Every woman is looking for that moment.” Even though the movie went on, my mind stood still at that moment of realization. As I continued to meditate on what He said to me, I recognized that every woman is a “lost princess.” Though tattered and stained in so many women, stamped on the inside of them is the image of God waiting to be discovered. Only when a woman confesses Jesus as Lord and finds her life in Christ is she able to have the realization that she was always meant to be a member of the royal family of God. Thousands, if not millions of women, struggle each day with broken identities. Desperate to find their true selves, they attempt to live up to the world’s image of a princess, only to continually be disappointed by the natural image they see in the world’s mirror. Wealthy Hollywood actresses and singers are in the news on a daily basis for the drama they are living out in trying to live up to the world’s image of them. They have been elevated to a certain status in society, but have no power or true faith to back up the image they are trying to portray.
It is imperative that as believing women we reach out to others and lead them to the cross of Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:12 tells us that every person without Christ is lost and without hope in the world. The foot of the cross is the only place where a woman will find the crown and royal robes the enemy has stolen from her, and again be brought into the royal family as a child of the Most High King. Only in the mirror of the Word of God will we see our true selves in Him, wrapped in royal robes of righteousness and crowned with lovingkindess.
The next time you look in the natural mirror and are tempted to disdain what you see, stop and take a moment to look on the inside at the beautiful image of God that is there. There are no flaws in His design. You are the apple of His eye and the joy of His heart. Once we are confident of His image in us, it will shine through to so many other women waiting to hear the good news of the glorious Gospel. What a marvelous privilege to carry this message of hope to our generation, “My friend, your prince has come – His name is Jesus.”.
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