Responding In Faith

Our beautiful daughter, Carol Jean, just celebrated her fourth birthday.  This was an extra special birthday because this was the first birthday that we have gotten to celebrate with Carol Jean.  Prior to Carol Jean’s birthday, I had asked her what type of birthday party she had wanted to have.  Her response had been a princess party.  Seeing that I have four other daughters, the “princess” theme has popped up previously.

So with much excitement and joy, I went about planning a beautiful princess party.  Carol Jean has told everyone that she met about her plan for her birthday party.  I had big plans to make a beautiful castle cake.  I have done this particular cake in the past without any difficulty.  Only this year would be different!

Because Carol Jean’s birthday fell the day after Turkey Day this year, I was a too exhausted to bake the cake the night before.  So I got up early Friday morning and baked the cake and let it cool.  Unfortunately, the cake was too “fresh” if you know what I mean.  The entire cake collapsed.  I stood in the kitchen with tears streaming down my face.  I called Russ on the phone, still sobbing over my collapsed castle!  Of course, Russ was no help. “Its just a cake.  Glue it together with frosting!”  He just wasn’t getting it.  The cake was dead!  There was no help for it.

Being quick on my feet, I finally shook myself out of my despair over my fallen castle and had Russ pick me up a rectangular cake.  I took all the fixings from the fallen castle and erected a new and improved castle.  It turned out pretty well!  I called Carol Jean in to see her cake and she was so excited.  I don’t think it would have mattered what it looked like, she was just excited to have a cake and to be transformed into a princess!

My sister Mandy is the glamor girl in my family.  It was her job to transform Carol Jean into a princess for her party.

And here she is, Princess Carol Jean!

My Princess Carol Jean danced around the kitchen as we applauded for her and told her what a beautiful young lady she was.  My heart leaped for joy over my little girl and then my thoughts turned towards my Heavenly Father.  In this life, so many times I have wanted to dance as Carol Jean was and so badly wanted to be my daddy’s princess.  My heart had ached for so long.

But then I realized that I can be a princess and dance before my Daddy…my heavenly Daddy.  I go back to Zephaniah 3:17, “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”   My God looks down upon me and delights in me.  He rejoices over me with singing!  I can dance before the King and know that He loves me and has released me from all bondage.

So as I watched my beautiful daughter dance with delight, I, too, was able to join her and dance before my Daddy. For you see, I am a princess and I am loved!  My Daddy knew me before I was in my mother’s womb and He knit me together in the image that He wanted me to be.  He knows my heart, my passions, my desires.  He knows me inside and out.  He looks down upon me and smiles, for I am His daughter in whom He loves!

Thank you, Daddy, for creating me to be the person that You had always planned for me to be!  Thank you for allowing me to be your little princess and to know that I am loved unconditionally by the Maker of Heaven and earth!

I am learning to experience freedom like I have never felt before.   Each morning I awake and I don my tiarra!  For I am a princess in my Father’s eyes!  That gives me so much freedom on the inside that I can’t even begin to explain it.  It is helping to heal a sense of brokenness that I have been carrying around for so long.  God is opening my eyes to what it means to be orphaned, but only to be adopted into His family!

Thank you, God, for making me a part of the “Royal Family”!  I love you, Daddy.  Forever yours, Princess Sonya