When the princess burps

When the princess burps...is she still a princess?

Does she suddenly lose her princess-ness because her behavior doesn't match her title?

Is she somehow less than a princess?

My friend was getting married. This, of course, necessitated a new sparkly dress which I found for a steal at one of my favorite stores.  When the big day arrived and it was time for me to get ready, I had three small visitors lounging on my bed as I carefully laid my dress out,
and they touched reverent fingers to all those shining sparkles.
And then as I stepped into my sparkly dress, those sweet girls oohed and aahed at the cascade of sparkles  that settled around my shoulders and down to my knees.  And they were so excited that mama was in a princess dress that I had to send them downstairs so I could have some peace and a little bit of quiet.  As  they begrudgingly scampered down the stairs, I heard their silly chatter waft back up and my heart smiled  because it's good for a girl to think her mama's a princess too sometimes.

I hightailed it out to the car, carefully positioning me and all my spangles in the seat. 

My three little people smiled wide grins beneath bright eyes at me and my dress and I smiled wide right back because sometimes when you see yourself through the eyes of your little people, you feel just a little bit invincible and a whole lot of loveliness.

My sweet K said, "Mama you sure look just like princess."

I glanced back and smiled, "Thank you sweet girl."
I love her.

I completed my maneuvering, carefully arranged the seat belt around all the sparkles, 

and then I burped. 

Out of the blue. No warning. No pause of breath to lead up to it. No pressure in my chest. Nothing.

It just came out of its own accord. And I have to admit I may have surprised myself a little.

 I heard a gasp from behind me. A very large, collective gasp that was a 

harmonic compilation of three distinct voices.

"Mama! Princesses do NOT burp!" K stated emphatically, disbelievingly, shocked. 

I turned to look in the back seat, a little sheepish over my accidental faux pas. 

And as my gaze swept over to R, I saw her already big brown eyes grow exponentially rounder as she, too, was aghast at my unprincess-like behavior. 

Even the Eldest was looking at me with incredulity in her face.

What's a mama-who-was-a-princess-and-now-is-banished-from-princessdom to do?

 I laughed.

But what if she was right--princesses probably do NOT burp. 

Especially in front of others. 

 In my mind I hold the same standard for princesses as my girls. 

Granted, our standards may be slightly biased by the 

profusion of Disney princesses that grace our DVD shelf, but still...

They have perfect, princess-like manners. 

They do not burp or break wind.

They do not interrupt or run through halls.

They do not shout in church or steal books from the library.

They always flush the toilet and they never leave their clothes on the floor.

Princesses are gracious and kind and genteel.

Until they burp in public and then all bets are off.

But does a princess's behavior change her princess status?

Does her proper princess behavior make her more of a princess?

Or is she a princess despite her behavior?

So I started thinking.

We are daughters of the Most High God. He calls us His Beloved. 

Our names our etched on the palm of His hand.

But do we live that way? Do we act that way? Do we believe it into the warp and weft of our very beings and let it saturate every cell until we don't just know it, we know it?

I confess...I don't very often.

I don't live every day like I'm the daughter of a King, a princess of a King.

But it doesn't make me any less His daughter, any less a princess.

I don't live every day like I'm His Beloved.

But it doesn't make me any less His Beloved.

I don't live every day confident that the God of all Creation sees me. Knows me. Loves me.

But my doubt and disbelief don't make it any less true.

I don't live every day knowing that I'm secure because my name is etched on the palm of His hand.

But it doesn't make my name any less inscribed. It doesn't make me any less known to my Creator.

I don't live every day exemplifying proper-Kingdom-princess behavior 

which is vastly different from proper Disney princess behavior

(that would be living each moment the way Jesus would want me to--I make mistakes. A LOT of them.)

But He doesn't kick me out of His Kingdom or disown me or find a replacement for me.

He loves me in spite of my faults and scoots me closer to His throne and gently reminds me of who He is and thus who I am so next time maybe I'll remember.

I'm so thankful we serve an immutable, unchangeable God. I'm so thankful He's not governed by emotions or behaviors, but that He's governed by His truths which are rooted in His Word which was breathed from His spirit into the hands of His servants who faithfully wrote it down. I'm so thankful that my transient ways and my frenetic emotions and my unsavory behaviors don't change the truth of who I am in Him, or who He has made me to be, or how He sees me.

I'm so grateful.

And while I'd like nothing better than to live every day living in the truth, I know that takes more of Jesus, more of His truth, more of His love, more of loving like Him.

And if on occasion, this princess burps, well, maybe it makes Him laugh too.

Grace Always Rises,

Jamie

P.S. I'm linked up with Jennifer Dukes Lee and #TellHisStory and Holley Gerth at Coffee for Your Heart today. Stop by to be encouraged.