Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:9-10
Years past, my kids humorously addressed me as Queen Mary. While it was—and is—a joke, I have functioned as the primary domestic engineer over the Felkins family household for a good bit of time. The weight of responsibility for the duties and expectations of my subjects to be carried out and rhythm and tone of the household rested on my shoulders. On some level, it still does.
I’ve handed out discipline and confiscated toys and confined children to their room, removed their privileges when rules haven’t been followed.
Admittedly, their unruly behavior sometimes conjured punishment fantasies … “Off with your head, kid!”
But I’m no reigning monarch and have no kingdom to call my own. No country over which I rule or government to do my bidding (though sometimes I wish)
For the most part, my kids are slowly moving out on their own, away from my ever-roving eye.
Thing is, if I have no kingdom, why the angst and nagging disappointment over circumstances that are contrary to what I want, ongoing frustration with people who won't bow to my agenda?
When I shrink my world view down to only what I want, I become blind to the needs of others, the weighty crown, fur lined cape, and regal footwear of my own making a perfect fit.
Blast it, where did I put myscepter?
Maybe it’s hidden behind my ego.
In my kingdom, I demand my will be done. Maybe you do, too.
No matter how well suited that kingdom garb might be or how well I believe the crown fits, they're not mine to claim.
I say the Lord’s prayer with all sincerity—Your kingdom come, your will be done—but my desire for my own kingdom to come and my own will to be done is sinister and seductive.
Enter the King.
Driven by holy righteousness and justice, God sheds light on my heart's true intention and edges me off the throne. His throne—one he isn’t sharing.
If I'm honest, I shudder to consider what it would look like if God stepped down and permitted me to assume headship and exact authority to assure my will is done.
While any one of my kids might shrug and say, "What else is new?" I'm making a bold guess it made you shudder, too.
Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (Revelation 19:16) He reigned yesterday, is actively reigning now, and will reign forevermore.
No greater title, no greater ruler. No more loving and perfect monarch for those who humbly follow him, hallow his name and pray his will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
God offers peace and unity not offered by any other way or under other rule.
How big is your kingdom and who rules over it? How do you struggle to accept Jesus’s kingdom over your own?
— Mary
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Here's the talk I gave April 20th with a dear friend of mine. Shining Your Light in Brokenness has received over 100 views!! May it encourage you in seasons of hardship and give you proper perspective.
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